Ragnarok is coming
by Crystal1962
Summary: Hiccup left and never looked back. He left behind Hiccup Horrendous Haddock III. He became someone else, something else. He made his own life-a lonely one of regrets, but a content one. He also never planned on coming back, but he's forced to face his past. He won't stay, but can he go? More than one thing keeps him from hopping on toothless and leaving. And Ragnarok is coming...
1. Prologue

RAGNAROK IS COMING

* * *

— Prologue —

Rustling leaves bounced and swayed as a red crested robin crowned the tip of a bloated pine tree. The small body shook the settled peace into a slight flurry, a minor inconvenience. It's carrot-end beak pecked scarlet holly berries and, unsatisfied they would not topple from their stems, the robin creaked and flew off. Basil and pine revealed themselves behind a curtain of chalky snow, but they were soon to be engulfed again if the powder sky was any warning.

Below the tree slept a bouquet of baby hedgehogs, wreathed in on themselves and snuggled beneath the protection of roots. They lay undisturbed and peaceful, unbeknownst to the arrival.

He was a man at first sight. A tall, lean man with wind swept brown hair and an impossibly handsome face. But when you looked closer, when you squinted against the blinding sun that reflected off the snowy ground, you could see that he was not a man. And suppose you could feel it to, if you paid attention. Feel the overflowing faculty teeming with every nimble step. But a simple human could not sense such a force and therefore he was not a man.

And now, there, demanding to be seen despite the cover of a hood were pointed ears. Not thick and dagger-like ears of fairies and elves from a child's story books. No, these were slim, delicate, and slightly curved up as of reaching. They framed his sharp angles perfectly and were adorned in the most splendid, glowing silver rings.

The man- male pulled his hood down and graced the crisp air with his presence. It was a sad smile he echoed to a pained heart, for he was sad. Not the kind of sadness of loss or pain but of a quiet hope and joy. Of forgotten memories and old traditions. Of a warm fire and soft kisses. The kind that made you weep in sorrow and love.

He pulled off his coat now and let it fall in a silent descend to show off the pale grey of his tunic. Unveiled, his arms stretched behind to slide out two blades. Twin swords in every aspect but the hilt. One held a heavy emerald in its gape and the other a sapphire. Like eyes, they peered at their surroundings and, if one didn't know better, one would think they blinked in disapproval. But stones could not blink.

The swords were swung in a skilled arch before they plunged in a violent slice through snow and earth. The male knelt before the two blades and pulled out a third dagger from the bellows of his boots. He pressed its ridge to his brows and held, not yet breaking skin.

"I, Avrid Gúigráìn Oläńń, husband, brother and king call death and life to my side."

And then everything shuddered awake.

The ground shook and trees growled angrily, their branches snapping and snarling together. The male, however, kept his ground and faltered not, he simply held the blade so tight his fingers bled of any colour. The twin swords did not rattle either. Near silent words tumbled from sure lips and something began to form behind both eyes. The ground cracked, a great tear through the earth and opened into pits of where only darkness roamed. Where something ghastly and outright terrible ruled.

Bone white, skinless fingers curled the lip of the rocky ridge. They tapped the crumbling ridge as if curious about their summon, pondering the worth of answering to it. The male, Avrid, stood finally and he did not seem afraid, he did not balk at the shattered earth or eerie creatures he did awake.

"You will answer my bid."

"Your bid?" It was not a voice that echoed. It was not a sound but something without a conscience or words.

"And what do you offer."

Avrid crossed his arms. "You."

An answer enough it seemed because those fingers disappeared only for a death to appear. The image of unholiness, of everything evil and dead began crawling from the pit. They had no bodies, only shadows but what they touched the land died. Like a plague without mercy or tolerance it demised what lay in its path. Creatures and life died where tendrils of dark and shadows reigned.

"Your souls are mine and if you perish then who will miss what is already dead."

"Then we shall march for King Avrid Gúigráìn Oläńń. We give our souls but for a simple answer."

Avrid gave the slightest of nods.

"Who are we to kill."

Avrid smiled. "A Queen. Two queens. Hela, ruler of Helheim and Tianfar Gúigráìn Oläńń. I want both, the first dead and the latter…" He dropped any pretence of amusement

"I want my wife to stand at my side as I kill the woman who has taken her from me. I want you to make her scream and beg for mercy and then I want to make the Queen of Helheim beg at my feet."

The world shuddered as death grinned.


	2. A Dead King

RAGNAROK IS COMING

* * *

— Chapter One —

A Dead King

He stood still. His breathing so faint it would leave any mortal with a spinning headache. Slowly and completely silent, he reached behind him and slid out an arrow from the quiver on his back. The only sound came from the rustling of leaves and patter of small animals as they made their way through the forest floor, thick with roots. Notching the arrow, he held still, and as he took his next breath, he pulled his arm back and aimed. His hands did not shake, and he did not miss.

The arrow left the bow with a painful wisp and with unimaginable accuracy flew straight into the heart of its victim. Not a second later, Avrid darted. He ran towards his kill, faster than the eye could possibly make out and stood in front of the man. Looking him straight in the eye. The eyes of the man showed pain and frustration, as if it was a botheration an arrow split through his chest. Avrid walked to the man, seconds away from collapsing and giving up; holding on by the mere force of will and pulled out the arrow.

"Wouldn't want you to die too quick, now would we?" Avrid sneered.

He screamed in agonising pain and black blood seeped from the wound, Avrid's arrows were no ordinary weapon. As if the last string that held him up had just been cut, he fell to his knees and choked something intelligible.

Avrid could not bring himself to care what he had said and instead lifted his foot and carelessly pushed him stumbled back and landed with a thud and a grunt of pain to the forest ground. Apparently, what he had said was rather important.

"I said, who. Are. You?" The man forced out the question in raspy breaths as he tried to stop the bleeding by holding the wound.

Avrid stood towering over him as he lay on the floor. He looked at him with mild curiosity. It would always amaze Avrid how people had the insistent need to ask questions before they died. They never revealed something fascinating like a secret or begged for forgiveness. They never asked for him to tell the burden of their death to their loved ones or not tell them. It was either, 'who are you?' or 'please, I'll give you anything'. A question or a proposition. Some would beg for their lives. Avrid hated those types, the ones who would sell their own wives to save their life, the kind that thought he would possibly let them go because they said, please.

He ignored the question and walked into the moonlight. It shone down, a diffuse glow, lighting a strand of the forest from pitch black to charcoal grey.

"King Herman. You have been charged for the death of Queen Kilo, daughter of Rye and husband to King Herman. You are charged for the unauthorised use of essence magic in which to control your subjects and the intent to kill the Rammaden Dwarves of Nioavellir. You have been sentenced to death by order of the Radox for your repeated crimes against two of the nine realms and the attempted murder of a True- Blood."

Avrid's voice held no emotion. Not glee nor satisfaction, it ran cold as stone to the King's ears.

King Herman blanched as he stared at the hooded figure that had driven that cursed arrow through him. The cloak his murderer wore was a jet black, thick material that looked to be leather painted the colour of the darkest nights, making the carrier melt into the shadows. It flowed gracefully as if the material had a mind of its own. As if it floated around the man who wore it. As if the man could control the cloak. He held an equally dark bow, one that stood proud and daring. Daring anyone to challenge it. The black combo included the arrow that had ate into his flesh, leaving abnormally, retched pain in its wake.

As his attacker lifted back his hood and King Herman felt familiarity spring in the back of his head. He knew this face. Dark, auburn, messy hair fell around a sharp cut face and freckles dotted their way across his nose and cheeks. One would think he was a young man, barely past boyhood, and right they would be. But Avrid had lived his short twenty-seven years on the planet, a life to age him past the time of mother nature. Exquisite emerald green eyes bore an unrelenting gaze at King Herman. His shoulder stopped throbbing and all he could see, all that existed was those eyes. They saw his soul. And he saw it, in the reflection of endless storms and rolling seas, he saw it. He saw...

"Impossible." He breathed, "impossible, you should be dead." The glint of a blade and King Herman's throat spilled a crimson river.

"Yes. Yes I should."

...oOo...

Avrid stared disdainfully at the corpse that lay pallid on the frosty soil. It looked unseeingly past him, Avrid blew out a long breath. The icy blanket of air turned his breath to a misty cloud, reminding him how cold it was. He was rather satisfied with how the night turned out. The King was becoming rather an annoyance in terms of finding him and coupled with the never ending number of curses and charms that protected the King was a huge thorn in his side; not that he expected an easy catch.

He had been aiming high when he took it upon himself to take this particular case. It was stupid and careless to run into the forest and follow the King. He knew, he knew that Herman had dark wolves roaming the plaines loyal to him. The foul beasts had sunk their teeth right into shoulder and left somewhat of a parting gift: a deep wound that was rather annoying. Killing them, however, was the bigger pain. They had this nasty habit of playing possum.

He blamed it on the Æsir. Of course they had the best timing, deciding to only now get involved with the Herman problem and muddling their sticky hands in his business. He had a plan, had everything laid out and perfect. After finally locating the King to the Álfheimr abandoned city forest, an old place of dead trees and plants and said to be riddled with the breath of hundreds of dead men. The Light Elves weren't particularly fond of the never-ending decay, they feared the dark animals that roamed the plaines. He had the King thinking he was nothing but an embassy from the 'Legion of Rebels'. He got a right giggle out of that one. The King trusted him and it could have been as simple as slitting his throat in his sleep. But now the kitchen maid was dead, and the Asgardians would become suspicious that the king had 'disappeared'.

It was best to just burn the evidence. Flinging off his cloak, he arranged it over the body of King Herman haphazardly and went in search of a nice stick. The man was dead, he should at least get a nice stick. On second thought, he grimaced and picked any random stick, the King wasn't exactly the most honourable man in the world. He committed countless murders, broke laws and executed unspoken crimes.

He ran his index finger along the side of the wood lighting it in flame, he tossed it at the black bunch. It immediately caught fire, the flames licking their way across the body. Content the fire wouldn't catch on the dead bark surrounding it, Avrid leaned down and plucked his bow from the ground. He raised his arm and snapped it down in a quick motion, flipping the weapon back in on its self. It was a neat little contraption, making carrying his bow efficiently easy, he turned and started walking aimlessly, wanting to just relieve his nose from the smell of burning flesh that seemed to have invaded every molecule in the air. The wind ruffled the thin material of his tunic and the cold nipped at the vulnerable flesh on his shoulder.

He turned his head to look at the wound and sighed, "Stupid, basterding mongrels." He cursed under his breath. He lifted the material from his shoulder, trying to un-stick the blood from it. It wouldn't do good for the wound to close with the material still attached, the thought of having to rectify that sent a shudder down his back. The beast had dug it's fangs right in, leaving his shoulder a bloody fleshy mess.

A loud shriek pierced through the night air.

"Mutts" Avrid whispered under his breath.

"Unnatural. Useless. Hideous. Mutts." He hissed to himself. The forest had gotten denser, the charcoal black trees seemingly trying to cover the black cover of sky, shutting out the pale silver of the moon and plunging him into darkness.

"Ah yes, and now we have entered the dark pit of our adventure. Nothing but endless..." He snapped a low branch off its tree and examined it, "tree carcass." He said and tossed the branch behind him.

Avrid lifted his head to the sky and silently called to his brother. He closed his eyes and breathed out, clutching at the familiar green thread in his mind and tugged it. Within seconds he heard a familiar whistle. Smiling, he raised his arm high and no sooner had he done so, did he spot the zooming black Night Fury zipping towards him with a speed so unnatural, it would seem impossible. He began to run backwards, avoiding protruding roots and, as the Night Fury zoomed past him, he clutched the it's large paw.

As swift as a monkey on a tree, he slithered up the large body of the dragon. Toothless made an instant beeline for the inky sky above them. When they were soaring in the cloudless sky he gurgled in frustration and flipped his head to the side, slapping Avrid with his fin.

"Yeah, yeah I know. I'm sorry bud. But you couldn't have come with me." Avrid conceded as he rubbed his face.

"Come on, let's go home."

...oOo...


	3. Forgotten Promises

RAGNAROK IS COMING

* * *

— Chapter Two —

Forgotten promises

"Hiccup. Don't you dare. You swore to me. You made a promise."

Hiccup stood at the edge of the cliff that overlooked the village of Berk from a distance. The wind and chill of the north air nipped at his nose and made him shiver slightly. The village that slept below him had been casted in the afterglow of the sunset, not yet dark but a fading orange hue. The people of the village lay quiet. There were only a few Vikings that were still awake, some wanting to celebrate the day to come and the day past. Some scurrying about the island, checking the night routine defences. Most had decided on having an early night, eager for the historic event that was set to happen the next day.

Hiccup was not eager. He was conflicted. He knew killing the dragon tomorrow was out of the question, he couldn't possibly kill another being, it would feel like a betrayal against Toothless. He was going to leave, leave Berk and find himself a new life with just him and Toothless. Somewhere they could live in peace and perhaps explore the world. It should have been as simple as hopping on Toothless and bolting through the sky, the speed of lightening; never looking back, but something held him to Berk. No, not something, someone. Astrid.

He had taken her on that flight and shown her the wonders of dragons. That they were far from unstoppable beasts that only craved blood and destruction. That they were intelligent, magical creatures with their own personalities. That they were precious souls, as precious as any man or women. He had changed her mind and it gave him hope. Hope that the minds of the Vikings could be changed if only he showed them. But if he was truthful, he didn't want to. He knew it was probably selfish and cruel of him, but he didn't care about the Vikings. He didn't care that they were too small minded they thought only to destroy and not to understand. They didn't deserve his help or his kindness. If they wanted to plunge themselves into an endless cycle of war and death then so be it, it was their own faults and he would not think twice about the lives that would be lost. Berk was nothing but a bunch of selfish, irrational savages that would pick on the weak and never accept him unless he proved to be as brain dead as they were.

But Astrid had seen, seen and understood. It was cruel to leave her with that knowledge. She would spend her days killing for a cause she knew held no truth. Sure she could try and reason with the Vikings, but she wouldn't, and Hiccup couldn't be disappointed because of it. Even he knew that she could- would- never go against her tribe. She, unlike Hiccup, was a Viking through and through and no matter the circumstances she would follow the orders of her chief, even if it killed her to do so. And he realised if he became the cause of her misery, he could never forgive himself for it.

Astrid stood, just behind him. He didn't have to turn around to know that she stood tall and proud, defiant as ever with her arms crossed and head raised. But that her eyes glinted in the afternoon glow, as she forced herself not to cry. Astrid never cried. Not when her father was killed by an illness and certainly not now. She knew what Hiccup's leaving meant, it meant that she would be all alone, stuck with a growing compassion for the reptiles that raided her village. She, being the runner-up in dragon training, would be the one to slay the Monstrous Nightmare. She would be forced to watch the life drain from the innocent creature, knowing everything she knew, and she would be forced to do it again and again and again.

Astrid didn't think she could forgive him if he left. She vaguely remembered holding hands with a younger Hiccup, one that was even more scrawny that the Hiccup that stood in-front of her now. She remembered how serious his green emerald eyes looked as she shook his hand and they promised to never be apart. She knew they had been almost inseparable as children but that as the years had aged them, they grew apart. She also knew she was the one to blame. That, as they grew up Hiccup had stayed the same, smart, caring boy who wanted only to fit in with everyone else. But now she knew he could never do that, he wasn't a Viking and she knew. No matter how much he would have told them different, he could never possibly kill a dragon. When she spent her days training against a tree with an axe in hand, Hiccup would be in Gobber's forge, working on something new, always learning and growing his mind. He didn't have the heart of a Viking.

When the others started picking on him, she could- should- have stood up for him, should have rounded the heads of every one of them, but she did nothing. When Snoutlout would pin Hiccup by the neck and hiss how unworthy he was to be the heir of the chief, that there might come a day when Hiccup would 'accidentally' disappear of a cliff. When the twins would pull the most horrible pranks on him, making him eat and do Gods-awful things. When Fishlegs abandoned him, as his only friend and followed suit with the other teens. But what she done was the worst of all of them. She turned away, the days Hiccup would carry a black eye or broken arm she never said a damn thing; turned a blind eye. She never dared befriend Hiccup again. Sure, not one of the teens would dare physically hurt her, they knew they couldn't, but she was a coward all the same. When they called him useless because one of his inventions led to yet another disaster, she would see how brilliant his mind was. That he had invented and made those... contraptions, all by himself. But she never dared stand up for him or speak out. She was the coward, inside and out.

So, when he had defeated her again and again in dragon training, she became furious. How dare they treat him like shit and then the minute he shows that he is not the total screw up, they are suddenly his best friend? That all can be forgiven? How dare Hiccup obviously pretend to be a screw-up, when he wasn't? But most of all she was frustrated with herself. She knew she shouldn't be angry, so why was she?

She never broke her promise though. When Hiccup was bloody and scarred, she would force herself to look, to watch what was her fault- no matter how much it broke her heart. She knew she should never expect him to forgive her, but she believed that the small promise they had made to each other when they were children kept them tied, meant something through all her betrayal.

Hiccup turned as she spoke. The expression on her face made him want to stay, even if it was to spend his entire life in misery; like she was damned to. He remembered that promise that had remained unspoken in years and saw truth to it. Every time one of the teens would pick on him, she was there, maybe around the corner or against a tree, or in an alley. She was there with him, even though she would never stop them, she done the only thing else she could have. She stayed by his side, and every time he saw her, she had an unreadable face, one he had never been able to pick apart. It wasn't pity or frustration and it wasn't anger or sadness or glee. So, he asked her a question that would solve everything.

"Come with me?"

She let her head fall to the ground and looked down. He spoke with such hope and desperation, almost as if he was begging her, as if he couldn't bear the years alone. She knew it was impossible though. Her father had died, and her mother was in a stage of depression unable to do anything, unable to cope with the loss of her husband. It was left to Astrid to raise her two younger brothers, one only just born and another beginning to grow. She couldn't leave them; her mother would never be able to take care of them and she didn't know if they would survive another year.

She spoke quietly, knowing the force of her words. "You know I can't."

Hiccup closed his eyes.

"Then stay. Don't tell my father what I have done. Don't tell them that you were the last to see me. Don't tell anyone. Let them come up with their own conclusions. That I ran away a coward or that the Gods decided to save them from the grief of watching me screw up. And Astrid?"

His question forced Astrid to turn her head towards him, dreading he might show how disappointed with her he was. He looked her in the eye and took a step closer, enough so that if she was to reach out, she could touch him easily. His face held no trace of what she expected, but instead a cool mask of sorrow.

"Don't give up. When you can go on no more, remember what I say. You are the strongest person I know. And if I didn't know better, I would say you weren't a Viking at all." She smiled at that, but it didn't meet her eyes.

"Keep fighting. Every dragon you kill, make it worth it. You do this and someday it will get easier, but don't let it. Remember these creatures and never forget."

She couldn't help herself. Astrid threw her arms around his neck and hugged him tight. He hugged her back, bringing her close and letting her rest her head on his shoulder. Stifling a tear, she held him tighter.

"Promise to never leave me."

"I promise."

...oOo...

Eight years later

Astrid woke with a start. The sounds of screaming tore through her walls and plunged into her ears. She woke abruptly and instinctively threw on her armour. Years of being ready for a raid made her alert and developed a few good habits. Barely awake, she snatched her axe from where it slept in a stand beside her bed and ran as fast as her legs would go. Her heart thumped rapidly as she raced down the stairs and burst through the front door. What met her was chaos.

In the dark, night sky, giant torches had been lit and hundreds of dragons zipped around the island. Some fell as Vikings threw arrows and maces, nets and hammers. Others made away with the roof of a house and... Tuffnut Thorston?

A Hideous Zippleback had the male clamped in its huge paw and threw him from head to head as he thrashed fiercely, screaming. "Oh I am hurt, I am very much hurt."

Sighing, Astrid looked around her. During a raid some kind of weapon was always near and ready, she lifted a net from the ground and chucked it in the general direction of the Thorston idiot. It successfully caught him as one of the heads mid-catapulted him, making him fall to the ground with an unhealthy thud and a not-so masculine scream. The other half sped towards her brother, waving and screaming like a lunatic. The Zippleback flew off with a growl.

Astrid took a minute to look around her, something was off. The dragons, instead of taking the farmer's livestock, were snatching the livestock of Berk. Most scrambled out of the clutches of the dragons, too stubborn to just give up, but she saw a few familiar faces, fill with dread as they were lifted and carried away.

Horror spread through Astrid as she realised what the dragons where doing. They were taking the Vikings instead. Not a single sheep had been lifted, the dragons seemed to be targeting the Vikings. Astrid sped towards the town centre of Berk, panic filling her every nerve, they had never been raided like this before and she needed to figure out why. Had the dragons finally decided that killing Berk was the best option? Spotting Stoick, she pushed her way through all the Vikings and ran towards him. He stood tall, looking up at the sky full of dragons and his people with panic and alarm. Astrid stood in front of the chief and demanded his attention. She spoke loud and clear.

"Chief, what do we do?"

Always level-headed, as was expected when chief, Stoick met Astrid's gaze.

"Protect each other." Speaking louder he addressed the rest of Berk's occupants.

"Leave no man or women separated or alone, stay together." He addressed his villagers. Gobber appeared, summoned by the call of his best friend and chief, and with a battle cry he ran for the dragons. Astrid nodded and turned to face the battle. Snotlout Jorgenson's voice chimed in her ear.

"Wanna pair up? Don't worry I'll protect you from these savage beasts." He flexed his arm as if to support what he said.

Astrid rolled her eyes, "I'm sure I can manage by myself. Wouldn't want your ego to attract a Monstrous Nightmare." She quipped and ran off, leaving Snoutlout to examine his muscles, just before a Gronkle crash landed on top of him.

She had no intention of hurting any dragons tonight. What she wanted to do was figure out what was going on. She had been getting better at understanding the language of the dragons. In secret of course, she had been spending more and more days in Hiccup's cove. She mentally slapped herself, it was getting harder not to think of him. She would spend days in that small cove, praying to the Gods that they would give her the strength to keep going, to keep killing. Every raid that had passed she was expected to kill more and more dragons and being the top in her class, she was expected to show skill and determination; to never hesitate. And every raid she hated herself for it. She had contemplated running away, she knew how cowardly it sounded, and she knew it was impossible. The final words of Hiccup were the last thread that held her together.

Sometimes, while she sat in the cove, the odd Terrible Terror would fly in. They had been teaching her how they spoke, she reckoned she wasn't very good at it. It had taken eight years and she could only understand the basics. In her defence, Dragonese consisted of just a lot of grunts, gurgles and growls. She headed towards a small terror that had been lurking in the shadows of a nearby tree, almost as if it was waiting for her, and tried, in what best way she could, to understand what was happening. When she asked the dragon, it said something along the lines of 'different dragons' and 'different master'. At least that was what it sounded like.

Astrid turned back to look at the chaos that was Berk. So many people lay injured on the ground and she cursed herself for not helping, but what the Terror had told her was extremely valuable. What she knew now, if she got her Dragonese right, was that these weren't the same dragons that would normally raid Berk and they had a different alpha.

A shiver spider crawled down her spine. Whatever controlled the dragons before only wanted Berk's food and it would be accidental if a Viking was to be killed. But what controlled them now. It had a thirst for blood, Viking blood. And with the number of wounds Berk had sustained today she wasn't sure they would be able to cope with another raid like this. Bodies lay strewn on the roofs of houses and looking over to her left she saw that Harold, the boy who would help in the bakery with his father, was gruesomely pierced by one of the horns of the Viking statues that erected from the sea.

Forcing the rising bile from her throat, Astrid made her way back to the centre of Berk. The raid was more or less over by now and her late coming meant that she had missed out on the worst of the action. Walking through the crowd of injured Vikings, she saw Ruffnut support her brother as he sat on an overturned fish basket. She was trying her best to bandage his head. Snotlout leaned against the forge wall as Gothi examined a nasty looking burn on his arm. His face, normally full of superiority, was now contorted in pain. Fishlegs stood with Gobber in the Forge bending over hammers and crossbows. She knew they were trying to mend the millions of broken weapons, they couldn't afford to be attacked again and not have anything to defend themselves with. Astrid didn't pay much attention to any of them. At this moment the only thing she wanted was to find her family. Her mother always liked to let out her rage in battle, so Gods knew if she was even still alive and both her brothers were too young to join a raid, so they should be safety nestled at home.

Astrid ran to her house, praying to the Gods they would be okay, that the house hadn't been caught in flames or that a dragon hadn't gotten to them. Thoughts of the worst looped around in her mind until there was no room for anything else. When she reached her door, she could almost cry in relief. It was untouched by fire or destruction and stood the same as it did the day before. Astrid ran to the door and shoved it open, the hinges creaked.

"Mom? Rayther? Sunnil?" she shouted but only her echo came back.

Fearing the worst, Astrid crept inside the front door. It was too dark to see anything and she could barely make out the faint shadows of furniture. Something moved in the far corner of the wall.

"Sunnil? It's me. Astrid. Come out, the raid is over now." She spoke softly.

She knew with how young Sunnil was, he was probably scared out of his mind, especially if he was here alone. She was going to ring Rayther's neck for leaving him, he was supposed to watch over his younger brother. Astrid moved closer to Sunnil.

Odd, she thought. He should have come out by now. Astrid squinted in the darkness, she couldn't see a damn thing. Whatever was there, moved again, shifting around, almost as if... it couldn't be. The last thing she saw before she blacked out was the scared faced of a man as he smiled wickedly and the flat his sword met her head.

...oOo...

"Lord Aklav. How can I be of assistance?"

Avrid walked through the gold-plated door and smiled at the young maid. She knew him as Lord Aklav, embassy from the Legion of Rebels and here to help undermine the Home Laws. She was a nice woman and tended to have a soft spot for him. Of course, Liogoo would call this 'flirting' but he tried to see past it.

"Breakfast would be wonderful." He winked as she bowed and scurried off, a rose blush creeping on her cheeks.

The foyer in front of him was, in its glory days, a beautiful architectural masterpiece. The floors now scored and cracked, had once been flawless marble stretched across a lengthy room. A dark red carpet, once richly rolled through the middle of the floor and up the staircase, was now tattered with holes. Probably the mice. Pieces of what was once a crystal chandelier, swung low and swayed as the early morning breeze blew in from the open door.

At the end of the room was a large arc. Opening up onto a sizable throne room that was used for strategy meetings and battle preparation. Closing the door, Avrid turned and made his way down the East of the castle. It was about time he made himself scarce. He didn't know when the Asgardians were to arrive, but he didn't fancy bumping into them anytime soon.

The corridor he walked down was a lot like the foyer. Cracked marble and old elegance, a place of once rich décor and now rotting stone. Damp walls and strange mildew, that seemed to be alive, sickened every crumbling wall.

Although the East wing was meant to be one of the richer parts of the old castle, it was, in its days of use, for showing off. But now, that didn't stop the growing mould and scurry of rats and mice. Avrid found it wasn't the most pleasant of accommodation, but he had survived worse. He did, however, find a family of cockroaches living in one of the pillows he was given, it wasn't the best way to start a Saturday morning. No guards lined the walls, no Herman didn't like to have 'potential spies lurking at every corner'. He is- was quite the paranoid type, Avrid supposed it was what had kept him surviving for so long. Well until now, Avrid thought with a smile.

His room was the same as the rest of the castle. Any type of fabric was destined to have holes and so the double poster bed was no exception.

Whoever had chosen the colour scheme was, in Avrid's opinion, an idiot who was obviously evil and cruel. It was a grubby dark green colour. Not the nice type, but the shade of out of date bread and rotten fruit. It made Avrid want to throw up every time he was forced to look at it. The same colour was used for all of the fabric and only the furniture gave him some relief, possibly there was none of that colour available. So the bedframe and small wardrobe stood as rotten oak, the never-ending curse of damp did not spare any of the furniture.

Avrid rarely slept in the room anyway, it was more for formal purposes, he preferred the warm company of his reptilian friend, even if it meant his back ached every morning.

He was only here to fetch a few of the letters and papers that he intercepted in the effort to catch King Herman. He needed to burn them out of the Æsir's reach. It wouldn't do any good for them to discover Avrid was here.

After collecting the various strips and scrolls of paper he bunched them on the bed. Avrid tapped his finger on the bedcover, setting it alight. The maid he had sent for his breakfast would assume he got caught in the fire and burned to death. Faking his death, he laughed at the irony of it.

He walked to the window and elbowed the glass, shattering it. He looked down, it wasn't even a jump high, the East of the castle where he had 'stayed' was on one of the lower of the rooms. He asked for it specifically for this exact reason in that it would make for an easier escape. Hopping out the window, he landed onto the decayed grass that made up the Álfheimr forest and trotted off into... somewhere. Surrounding the castle was nothing but tree carcass and it when on for miles, so he really didn't pick any certain direction.

It hadn't been safe for Toothless back in the castle. One of Herman's endless list of crimes included killing dragons for sport, the rarer the better. And for a dragon like Toothless, a Night Fury and the last of his kind, he was the rarest of the rare. In all of the Nine Realms there was only one Night Fury left. Not that Herman could possibly hope to try and defeat Toothless. He smirked at the thought of it. He had sent Toothless away, where he went, he had no idea, but as long as he was out of sight.

He closed his eyes and tugged on the green thread in his mind yet again. Only this time, the Night Fury came stalking out of the trees, his large black body manoeuvred surprisingly easily through the thick forest. Avrid walked to Toothless, meeting him halfway and put his hand out, much like the day they had first bonded. Closing his eyes, Avrid leant his head on the large forehead of his best friend and sighed as Toothless let out a content gurgle. Both rider and Dragon stood content, the feeling of completeness washing over them. Being separated from Toothless made him frustrated and anxious, it made him feel empty like missing a part of himself.

"We need to leave now. I have no idea when the Æsir will arrive, but I have no intention of finding out; they cannot know we were here. They would... jump to conclusions. And I can't have them making anything any more difficult." Avrid explained to Toothless as they separated, and he swung himself over back of toothless, snapping his bow shut and shoving it back into his arm pad.

It was a sliding pocket that he had modified into his armour, specifically designed so that he could slide out his bow in the quickest way possible. As the bow would fold into it's self it would become a black rod, the arrows would be stored into a foldable compartment at his back that resembled a quiver, as if sewed together.

In one leap, Toothless took off into the sky that began to light with the colours of morning. Avrid looked over his shoulder at the old castle the King had been using to hide in for the last three years. The fire he had lit had started to spread, eating its way through the castle and flames bursting from narrow, rectangle windows.

Soon it would fall, and he would have destroyed all evidence of his stay. The Asgardians would arrive to the fading embers of Herman and he would have saved them the hassle of doing it themselves. A good month's job in his opinion.

"Where to now?" Toothless gurgled as he flew across the sea of blackened trees.

Avrid sighed, "I suppose we should visit Liogoo. She will be furious with me for doing this myself. You know how dramatic she can be."

"Maybe she'll finally bump some sense into that nuthouse you humans call a head, it was not fair of you to have done this if you knew I could not follow."

"I am sorry, but Radox had Herman on their eye for years and no one had caught him. The Asgardians were hot on his trail and if they got to him first, then that would have been another one that got away. Plus, he was the perfect candidate and there are rarely Uten like him anymore." He added.

Toothless let out a defeated sound. "Fine. But you will deal with the consequences when the Radox find out."

Avrid patted his side, "Don't worry, they won't find out. The Æsir will take credit and no one will know any different."

A sudden familiar pain shot up Avrid's arm, and he grunted in annoyance.

"You were saying?"

"Oh, shut your face. Turns out Liogoo won't get the grace of our presence after all. They're sending us to Midgard." Toothless decided it was best to leave his smart comments to himself.

"Midgard it is."

...oOo...


	4. A Fire Burning

Chapter 3

**'When Fire Burns'**

**Ragnarok is coming...**

Fire. There was a raging fire engulfing his entire body. That was the only explanation for the all-consuming pain he felt scorching the very thoughts from his mind. The only thing he could comprehend was the pain- and it burned. Nothing else mattered, not time, nor place- except for one thing: an overwhelming sense of loss. As if everything he knew to be good and pure, everything he loved was destroyed and torn apart right in front of him. And the worst part was that he had accepted the loss, made his peace with it; he knew whatever it was, it was never coming back- but he couldn't understand what could possibly cause this much grief.

Then suddenly the fire vanished. There wasn't even the smallest trace to suggest that the pain that he had once felt completely unbearable had even existed. In fact, he felt unsettlingly cold, too cold. Something wasn't right. Concentrating he tried to remember where or even who he was. Then, suddenly without warning, a deafening scream pierced his ears. It was like nothing he had ever heard before. The sound rivalled the wails of a banshee. It dripped of pain and hurt. Every sense in his body ached with the rumbles of its vibration, it felt as if it shook his very core. The sound of such a heart-wrenching cry made him feel lost in a desert of pain, the sand, nothing but grains of misery. As, finally like the fire, the screech stopped, he could still feel the stinging side-affects linger in his ears.

But now? Now he felt nothing. No pain nagging and agitating every nerve in his body. Not even a whisper of the noise that had invaded his ears. It was almost worse. Almost.

Suddenly, he heard a faint humming in the background, like white noise. It irritated his ears, and he shook his head to try to expel the sound.

"My Lord?"

Something shook him. There was a voice, it sounded… panicked, distant, as if muffled by cloth.

"My Lord?" He felt a burning desire to answer the question. He couldn't remember his name, but 'Lord'? It certainly wasn't that. It just didn't sound right.

"Lord Avrid!"

He bolted upright, and with the speed faster than a serpent he had his sword in hand and had it pointing rod-straight in front of him. There was no tremor in his stance and his hands did not shake, no, that would show weakness, and weakness was a dangerous flaw. The object of his potential assault stood statue straight. She was a plump woman with her wispy black hair pulled tight to her head. A white cap was fastened on neatly, and a white apron adorned over a plain grey attire. Holes were visible here and there, the usual garments for a servant.

The women gulped and only then did Avrid notice the silver of a blade at her throat and the trickle of sweat dew on her forehead. Instantly he pulled his blade back and took a large stride backwards, turning his agitated gaze to the women in front of him.

The servant was afraid for her life, her heart was pounding so fast it felt as if it was trying to claw its way from her chest cavity. She had heard stories of the man before her. He was said to be dangerous and cruel and it was just her luck to have ended up with the task of alerting the west side of the castle that breakfast was ready. Even though one of her organs were currently making its one-way trip to Neverland, she was not one to leave a job undone. So, against her better judgement, she eyeballed a random stain on her apron to avoid his gaze or anger him any further, and cleared her throat,

"M… My Lord, breakfast is r…ready," she squeaked and in record time she had made her way to the door and scuffled out as fast as her stumpy legs could carry her.

Lord Avrid watched the servant flutter away and silently scolded her recklessness in waking him. He would have killed her as easy as he would slice butter, had he not come to his senses. Yawning, he massaged his still slumbering eyes, who both refused to wake up, and slid his blade, Forseti, into her scabbard and sat on his bed, sighing. Forseti had been a gift from an old… friend.

Although the Radox had given him the task of handling Midgard he refused to go without a fight. Like putting a child in the corner, they were punishing him for the Herman case, but of course, they only decided to reach out to him after the job was done. Avrid was pissed, to say the least. Urfan, one of the 'Leaders of Radox', otherwise known as the Firsts, knew where he came from and knew how he had avoided Midgard like he would avoid a plague.

'Morning! Is my little, pent-up-mushy-ball-of-anger ready for his big day?" Liogoo came strolling into his room with her usual bubble of radiance. Avrid looked in her direction and flopped onto the bed, closing his eyes and shaking his head.

Liogoo had joined the Radox at the same time as he had, and being in the same training course, they got to know one another. They had gone into battle with each other and had saved the other's life many times. Liogoo came from a line of Royalty, although not the next in line. She had been born to spend her days in a castle, someday to be married off for an alliance. But she had chosen a different life, she had joined the Radox and fled her life as a fancy princess to instead spend her days killing and hunting. Avrid found her a lot like him in that respect. She came from the realm Vanaheim- the realm of the Vanir. It was a warm country that was home to many different creatures, but the rulers of that realm were the Sirens. Sirens, otherwise known as 'fish people' or 'mermaids' were half fish and half human. They were fierce creatures that were known for their savagery. They were vicious and strong and tended to stay within their own realm. A siren could live above water, as they were part human after all, but their aquatic nature did not let them stay on land forever. Liogoo was a siren. At first glance, you would assume she was an ordinary human, but at a closer look, you could see the blue touch to her skin. The way her canine teeth pointed unusually sharp. How she seemed to see the world in a different way. She was also rather persistent at times.

"No. Out. If I am forced to talk to the 'Firsts', then I refuse to have you buzzing in my ear." He spoke sternly but knew all too well how little she would actually listen to him. Liogoo, unsurprisingly, walked towards the bed and flopped alongside him.

"And where is the fun in that?" she chirped. Avrid grunted in response.

"Come on lazy bones. It is past sunrise, get washed, you stink like burnt flesh." She yanked him up by the arm, pulling him off the bed. Avrid looked around for a shirt, Liogoo noticed he hadn't bothered covering up when she had come in and smiled. Progress, she thought. It had taken seven years to get to where he didn't care that she could see the scars that lined his body. The scares that marked what made him, they came as long healed incisions and uneven lines that traced in un-patterned streaks. But she supposed the grimmest of them all was an irritated looking, dark red scar that strangled the length of his waist and spiralled up his chest, to wrap around his arm and to the back of his left hand. She knew he thought of them as an imperfection. He thought that when someone would happen to gaze upon them that they felt pity for what he must have gone through, and she knew how much he hated pity. But for her, they were just a part of him. Like an arm or leg. She knew, somewhat, what he went through to get the scars and so she knew they were nothing to be excused, but the angry red slashes no longer startled her.

She turned to walk through the door, still smiling, as a Terror burst through the door knocking past her in his haste to get to Avrid. The dragon had a slim roll of paper in its mouth and dropped it at Avrid's feet.

"Lord Urfan expresses his desperate wishes for you to meet him. The time and place have been written in the scroll." And with that, the small dragon fluttered away out the door as fast as it had come in.

Avrid shared a quick glance at Liogoo, who looked equally as surprised, before he bent and lifted the scroll.

"I guess the boss just couldn't wait?" she suggested. Avrid quickly glanced at the opened letter and rolled it up, stuffing it into the back of his trousers with a frustrated look. He huffed out a deep breath. "He just wants to be dramatic about the whole thing."

Liogoo screwed her face in anger. "You disappeared for a month, only for us to find out that you had been deliberately disobeying Urfan's strict orders that 'no-one was to engage in any way with Herman'. The Æsir could have easily caught you out, and then we would be all doomed."

Avrid looked at her and shook his head, a small smile playing on his lips. He walked towards her and his face softened the smallest bit. Liogoo's heart fluttered as he placed his hand on her shoulder.

"Just say it. You missed me and are mad that I left without you." Liogoo slapped his arm, "Avrid," she grumbled, "you could have gotten yourself killed. King Herman was one of the most wanted in Asgard, had you been in his midst while they were seconds from interfering then you would have been undoubtedly caught and the Asgardians would not have spared you had they known who you really are."

"But they didn't catch me," he countered with a faint smile. "And you're right. I should wash." And with that he strolled out of the room, leaving Liogoo to wonder when he would actually give her a heart attack with his carelessness.

Ragnarok is coming…

Avrid stood under the rushing of the waterfall, his arms supported his weight as they rested upon the wet rock. He welcomed the sting of the water as it scorched its path down his back. Only in Álfheimr could he find 'firefalls'. Waterfalls found under the volcanoes of the Light Forest, a sacred place in the Elven realm, it was unique to find water in the volcano and was only possible due to the intense heat of the molten lava and the numbing cold of the air. As Álfheimr was in the middle of Winter the atmosphere was of ice and snow and the moisture would create pools of boiling water, some resulting in a Firefall. The water, too hot to be used for any living thing, was left alone; its uniqueness discarded as useless. Avrid found it was perfect. A long time ago, all feeling had been burned out of Avrid. When the frost of ice and snow would pinch and scratch, he could not feel it. When the sun charred at flesh and fire burned, he could not notice. Only when, like now, water so hot it would singe blisters into his skin, could he feel. Some would call it a blessing, to never feel the cold or heat, but Avrid found it a curse. He longed for the comfort of a fire, the relief of a breeze. But what had changed him was irreversible, so here he stood. He allowed the steaming water to cascade down his body, holding on to the ache that reminded him what it was to feel.

As he stood, he recounted the dream that had played the night past. He couldn't, no matter how hard he tried, make sense of it. What he had felt and heard, the overwhelming feeling of loss. It replayed over and over in his head as he tried to piece it apart. Avrid looked down at his arm, the skin, although used to such intense heat was not untouchable, and had begun to turn a fierce crimson, he had better exit the pool before his skin would start to blister. As he stepped out from the water, his body became almost instantly dry, the heat of the volcano was enough to evaporate the water and humidity in minutes. Avrid dressed and made his way back out the cave where Toothless slept lazily. The large black dragon didn't particularly favour the humidity of the cave and preferred to wait outside or hunt for breakfast. On hearing Avrid's footsteps, Toothless woke, opened his eyes and yawned. As Avrid met Toothless, the latter greeted his dragon with a scratch under his chin.

"Ready to go, bud?" Avrid asked as he hopped onto his back. Both rider and dragon preferred to ride without the saddle; it made for smoother landings, and it would be such a hassle to tackle Toothless and maintain the jumble of leather and ropes that the other riders seemed to need. Other True Bloods had told him that the saddle was for balance and a way to signal to their dragon what they wanted to do, which way and how fast. Avrid found the saddle uncomfortable for both him and Toothless. Soaring on the back of Toothless felt as natural as breathing and he didn't feel the need for 'extra balance' or a way to communicate, Avrid and Toothless were like brothers, they knew what each other were thinking before they had to speak.

"Where does your alpha summon you to?" Toothless took off at a leap, bounding into the sky. He glazed among the clouds feeling content as the breeze blew past his wings.

"By Lake Cisi." As quickly as the words left his mouth, Toothless sped off, a trail of cloud marking his passing.

**Ragnarok is coming...**

Urfan watched as the early sun inked the lake the shade of pale oranges and yellows, fading blues and a dusting of light lilac. A thin jacket of mist spread along the quiet lake. A lake so still it became a mirror for the trees that lined its banks, trees that spanned off in the distance for as far as the eyes could see. He sat on the shore of the lake, where the silk of the water faded into grey sand pebbles.

His dragon, a dark-rich purple scaled Changewing that stood beside him watching the morning sun as he did, turned its large head to the side.

"Here he comes."

Urfan followed his gaze. Sure enough, in the distance, Urfan could make out a large black dragon flying lazily through the clouds.

Minutes later the black dragon dropped from the sky, landing softly on the sand.

"You're late," stated Urfan, still looking in the distance. His face held a cold glare as he turned to look at Avrid.

"Yes, I am sorry, but you must excuse me. I had some very important business to take care of this morning," Avrid replied, sarcasm lacing his words as he walked towards Urfan. "How may I be of assistance?" he asked, a smile tugging at his lips.

Urfan turned away and started walking towards his dragon, Kilo, readying the dragon's saddle as he spoke. "You will go to Midgard. The Council of Firsts have agreed that you are the best suited to take on this case."

Avrid threw his hands up in exasperation, dropping his composed act.

"And how, may I ask, have you come to that conclusion? There are far higher trained people in the Radox that could do this job. You know how much I despise that realm, is there no one else that could go?" Avrid knew he sounded like a whining child, but if it got him out the case then he didn't care.

"You grew up in Midgard and therefore you know the realm better than anyone else. King Odin has asked for a favour of the Radox. Someone has been stirring trouble in Midgard. A man who has been said to be controlling a dragon army and the King doesn't like it. He wants us to get rid of the threat- if it is a man or just a rouse I do not know, but either way, it will be done. Radox needs to keep its image so the rest of the nine realms will not interfere with our work, and not only are you our best, but you know how to keep a low profile in a realm that only you are familiar with." Urfan turned to look at Avrid. "Look, I know that your previous life in that realm was unpleasant." Toothless, who had been watching Urfan with a tight eye, growled at the mention of Midgard. "And I know that you harbour ill feelings to it," he continued, "but whatever happened, you must put it to the side and complete this mission. Despite what you might think, this is not a punishment. You are the best choice for this."

Avrid scoffed and lifted a handful of stones from the ground and threw them one-by-one into the lake, creating ripples that opened across the water. Urfan sighed and threw himself onto Kilo, and the dragon readied itself to take off.

"Just do the job Avrid," he implored, and he and his dragon ascended. Avrid stood facing the water as Toothless came over and nudged his elbow. Avrid put his hand out to touch Toothless' scales.

"I guess we have no choice now bud, huh?"

Ragnarok is coming…

Astrid opened her eyes to look at a dark wooden ceiling. She turned her head to the side. The room she was in was mainly bare, the only thing that filled it was a long table that lined the far side of the wall. On top of it sat neatly-lined beakers filled with strange liquids and powders, flasks that held Gods knew what and some seemed to exude stem from the top. On another side of the table were large and small needles and, what looked like, small knives that were certainly not for battle. At the end of the table was a small wooden box, although Astrid couldn't see what was in it. Fear curled in her stomach and she became instantly aware that, one- this wasn't her room and two- she was wearing what seemed to be an extremely fine, white dress. She tried to lift herself up, but a shooting pain shot through her head making her flop back onto the bed. Astrid tried to recall what had happened when a young girl, about the same age as her, walked into the room. She was dressed in all white. A tight shirt, that she would not have got away with back a Berk, and a pair of breeches that seemed far too big for her and bunched at her ankles. The girl walked towards the table and fiddled with one of the bottles. Astrid tried to call out, her voice tight and croaky.

"Hello?" The girl turned to look at Astrid and walked straight back out the door. Astrid frowned her eyebrows in confusion. Using all the strength she could muster, she pulled herself up on the bed she had laid in. She tried to lift her arm to get out of the bed, but something stopped her. looking down she saw a chain had been wrapped around her wrist and was tied to the leg of the bed. She was chained to the bed. She tried yanking her arm again, to no avail.

"Hello! Hello, anyone out there?" she screamed, but silence answered her. She was getting frustrated now, and the constant tugging she was doing to try and free herself was making her wrists burn.

"Whoever you are you better let me go, or I swear on Odin's beard I will maim you." Just then a man trudged through the door. The man was colossal, easily ten times the size of Astrid herself. He had a mass of black hair that hung in ugly laces around his face. His face seemed as if it was crooked, his mouth was an uneven line and the skin of his face was marked with thick white scars. As the man walked, he limped, falling side to side. He walked towards Astrid and she fumbled back, as far as the chains that held her would allow, fear crawled up her body as she pushed herself against the wall. The man stopped about a foot before he reached the bed and smiled an awful smile, Astrid cringed as the man looked her up and down and tried her best not to look like a frightened puppy.

When the man spoke, his voice was gravelly and rough. "My name is Drago Bludvist. And you…" He walked towards Astrid and leaned in, close enough for Astrid to want to curl into herself. "You are… well. Special. Different." The man- Drago- moved back toward the table and moved random things, his large hands messily almost tipping things. "Do you know what you are?"

"What? I am a Viking," she said, although her hands shook and her body trembled in the small fabric, she spoke with all the Viking rawness she could muster.

The sound of a fire crackling was, Astrid realised, the sound of Drago laughing. "Viking?" He turned back towards Astrid, a needle in his hand. "I guess we will see about that, won't we?" He smiled again, only this time it made Astrid's heart thump faster than it ever had. It made her hands sweat and her eyes fill. It made her scared, more scared than she had ever been in her entire life.

And so she screamed.

**Ragnarok is coming...**

**A/N Sorry for the delay but i think it was worth it. I am going away on holidays for the next week so the next update will be slow, but stay attentive :)**

**Thank you so much for all my followers and favourites, you have no idea what it means to me that I have so many readers. **

**Finally, I cannot stress enough how wonderful and understanding my new Beta reader is. Tahliesque has been so helpful to me and I am forever**

**grateful to have her at my beta reader.**

**~Crystal~**


	5. Moonlight

Chapter 4-

'Moonlight'

* * *

Ragnarok is coming…

* * *

Astrid looked at the reflection that stared back at her through the glass puddle. What she saw was not her, rather a pale creature with eyes as dark as midnight while glinting only the faintest of light from which sourced from the wakened moon. A hollow, white face seemed to frame those eyes and the skin of the body resembled ephemeral wings; one would think it would fall apart like ashes if touched. A slender hand, shackled by savage, wicked chains, ghosted a feather touch across that face and Astrid wondered how this could be her reflection. Perhaps there was a God she had deceivingly vexed and they deigned to curse her soul to take the form of an evil beast, inspired by the eternal darkness of Hellas' realm.

"Not so pretty now." Whispered a shallow voice from across her, it was strained, as was her own from a lack of any source of water. The voice had sourced from her shackled companion that lay sprawled across the cold stone floor, a welcoming torment to fend off such a suffocating humidity that surrounded them.

Her companion, as there was no other label for the girl who had been as helpful as a clam in their imprisonment, was not at all the kind of person Astrid thought she would call a friend. Out of the millions of people in the world, she had been thrown in a cell with the most negative, irksome being that she had ever encountered, and Astrid knew of a pair of twins who would soon give her a run for her money. The woman's name was Heather. Heather whom and Heather of where was still a mystery to Astrid as was the prison that had been constructed around her.

Astrid looked at her reflection again, trying to look past her evident changes. To see the beauty of Berk that she once was. She closed her eyes and imagined golden hair instead of white. Imagined crystal blue eyes and glowing, tanned skin, instead of pale and pasty. And then she opened her eyes but nothing had changed and Astrid sighed in defeat, laying back against the cold stone behind her. It was not so much that Astrid was embarrassed of what she now looked like, more like she was pissed. Pissed that she was stuck with no way out, pissed that her only source of company was willing to lie down and die without a fight, pissed that, despite this, she felt content to do the same.

A soft sigh had Astrid looking at Heather. She watched as the girl lifted her gaze to the moon in the distance; watched as the girl's eyes donned a small crescent as the moon reflected.

"It's your turn you know. I know because Dr Gand has been staring at your file for the last twenty minutes." she spoke with the obvious intention to state the obvious, something that Heather knew pissed Astrid off.

"Yes. I am aware." she said, although this was only a half truth as Astrid could not actually see the doctor, but she knew in her mind when it was her time.

"And are you ready?" she looked at Astrid then like she knew that there was no possible way for Astrid to be so, but felt that it was a good conversation starter all the less.

"As much as I can, I suppose." Astrid saw as Heather seemed to go to say something instead of replying, "good." and turned back away from Astrid.

Each week, Astrid was taken to the _Hospitum_. No one really spoke of what happened in the room. Only the screams of pain ever gave inclination as to when there was an unfortunate soul that day, and sometimes she could swear that she knew the voice. Sometimes as she and the others of the cells were forced to listen to those awful, blood curdling screams, she would recognise something. She could recognise the voice of a mumble or a pitch in a tone. Berkians. People from her village; her people, screaming. Begging. It was all Astrid could do to convince herself that she was wrong. That she was imagining things because she was delirious from starvation. Once, she had been slumped against the wall, much like she was now, when she heard a voice so familiar that it was impossible to doubt. She had looked up, desperate to find the source of the voice but it faded before she could possibly hear it again. But then the light had caught on the face of the man as he was being carried to the _Hospitium_ and she saw. She saw Fishlegs. Then she heard him as he screamed. It seemed like his agony was the worst thing she had ever heard. She never saw Fishlegs again. She never saw any of them again. Once someone went in, they never came out. Apart from her. Astrid wished she wasn't an exception, but for whatever reason when she was taken to the _Hospitium_ she would wake in the cell , Heather alongside her. Heather had never been selected and Astrid thought they had maybe even forgotten about her and Heather gave no notion otherwise.

In regards to where in Midgard she was, Astrid was absolutely clueless. She knew what she could see and that wasn't very much. In the day, there would be a small period of time where the sun would burst through the small opening of which the moon now shone, but that small fragment of light only allowed her to see the rows of cells that lined up in front of her, and that was it. When they would take her to the _Hospitium_ they'd knock her out with a cloth that they would shove in her face and the smell of acid burned her nose leaving her with no information of the layout of the room, if that's even what she was in.

The current cell she was in, seemed to always be damp and smelled ferociously of mould and decay. It was big enough to hold the two women, but did not leave much leg space and left Astrid and Heather confined and always in the other's space, especially when they needed to go. Astrid could relieve herself in the bowl as provided and when she did so, the guards, who would watch them day and night, would look at her through their filthy eyes and smile and smirk. She would return the look, staring at them the entire time, refusing to yield to such an embarrassment, much to the amusement of the guards.

Astrid had finally accepted after the first few weeks passed, that no one was coming for her. That she might die. She prayed to the Gods each night that they would help her family. That while she was gone, her mother and two brothers would manage to live on. The knowledge that she hadn't been able to make sure that they were even alive before she had been taken, gnawed holes in her heart. It was all she could do to keep hope, and hope was all she had; not hope for herself but for her family. To make sure that the memory of them did not fade she would count her loved ones as she lay at night: gave them each a star. Rayther had the star in the East. Her mother always told her that the East star was the brightest, not measurable by the light it gave off, but by the accomplishments of such an old star. It was said that the East star has guided some of the most noble and heroic men into battle, and Astrid thought that her courageous little brother was even braver than herself.

Sunnil was the star from the West, the youngest star. Young with the heart of fire that burns with a million flames, the true heart of warmth and compassion. And her mother. Astrid thought of her as the southern star; the furthest of the elder stars. It was said that the Southern star was a dead one, constantly falling, someday to fall so far that no one would see it again.

The moon was moving now, taking its heavenly light with it. From where Astrid lay, she could see only the last fading blade of silver light. It illuminated the hard stone of the floor and on that floor rested a feather. A lone, black as night feather that twitches every so often from the gentle wind.

She could use that feather. Could pull off the soft part and scavenge the hollow bone to try and pick the lock. But she was so tired, so tired Astrid thought that, if she closed her eyelids for a mere moment she might fall asleep and never wake up. Yes, sleep. She would sleep and use the feather later, when the stone wall did not seem so cold, the thick, wooden bars so cruel and the dark so inviting. So, Astrid let her eyes flutter closed - or at least tried to because sleep never came. It happened every night as she tried to fall into blissful ignorance something would snap at her. Like there was something that she was supposed to do, something that she was forgetting and her mind refused to rest. What was most unsettling was how long she could stay like this. The only rest that she got was when she was taken away and forceful chemicals made it impossible to ignore that feeling deep in her chest.

Groaning, Astrid reached out, close enough that she was touching the feather as her fingertips brushed across its soft side. If she could not sleep, then she wouldn't waste perfectly good time with self pity as her only companion of thoughts, aside from Heather. Astrid almost had it, just a little push. But then the wind blew, and then the feather took flight, flew right through the bars and into the dark.

"No." She desperately croaked, the words were like sandpaper in her throat. Astrid let her hand drop to the floor and huffed out a breath.

No. no she was done with this gods-forsaken dungeon. Done with being so bloody weak. Let them slowly kill her and be done with that too. She said as much into the echoing darkness and a guard's chuckling reverberated in her ears. Bastards. It seemed that Heather had dozed off sometime ago, soft snores marking her even breaths.

Slowly, painfully slowly she pushed her stiff limbs to move, to turn just slightly so that she could see the sky through the small gap in the far wall and close her eyes. The crescent had moved on now as well as that once glorious, small sliver of light gone with it. Astrid smiled into the darkness, a wicked slow smile.

"Break me you stupid rats. Break me all you want, but the moment I get out of this filthy pit you will wish you had killed me when you had the chance." Her voice, surprisingly, held firm; her only blessing in this pitiful night.

"Is that a threat?" The voice of a guard grumbled, a female guard.

"A threat? No." She tittered. "I don't make threats, I make promises and I promise to leave your body in nothing but ribbons fine enough to braid my hair with." She snarled.

The guard had the gall to laugh at her. Laugh so hard it made Astrid think the woman was crazy, truly and actually crazy.

"Oh, now that I would pay good money to see." Said a gruff voice from the other direction. She knew that voice. She opened her eyes and skipped a breath at the man she saw in front of her. His face smiled through the bars, smiled in all the wrong ways. Ways that had any last fighting fibre in her body telling her to run, to get away, hide.

"Surprise," he whispered, mad eyes glinting through the dark of the night.

Dagur. He was a man of only destruction and pain. Two years ago, Berk had been attacked by soldiers who were commanded by the chief of Berserkers, Dagur The Deranged. The battle had almost wiped Berk out. They had managed to at least protect the children; stuffing the old and young in the great hall and sending all able to fight. The attack was short, but surprise meant that Berk was unprepared and began to fall fast. Soon Dagur's army seemed to be satisfied. And then the screams had subsided as the dying died and the grieving accepted but the battle had only begun. Before Berk had the chance to regain their footing and have fighters at the ready,another wave hit. Dagur battled with vengeance and power. He pounded their shores and left Berk scrambling and begging for mercy, something that Dagur found most amusing. And the reason for the attack? He lost a game.

Two years prior to the attack, during the harshest of the Winter months, all clans within the 'Fourteen' gathered and competed in The Winter Games. Challenges of strength and brutality were competed in. Each of the games were practically meaningless and as for the winner? Their only prize was to be the one to brag during the great feast that would occur that night. Although there were some, like Dagur, who decided that failure was not an option.

Dagur's tribe lost every game to Berk. Again and again and again. His tribe was mocked by Berk's winners and with a temper as short as a Terrible Terror, Dagur vowed to crush Berk and all those who mocked him, a feat that earned him the title, 'Dagur The Deranged'. But at the time, it was his father that was chief and the man, although still as mad as any Berserker, would never embarrass himself by folding to the wishes of his tempered son who huffed like a child. But two years later, he died and unfortunately passed on the role of chief to his son. Dagur.

When both sides were in tatters, Dagur offered a peace treaty.

In exchange for the Berserkers to surrender, all Stoick had to do was offer up 'the fairest maiden in all of Midgard'. During the Winter games Dagur had become somewhat obsessed with Astrid and so he spoke of her. In order for Dagur to leave Berk in peace all they needed to do was send Astrid's hand in marriage, to Dagur, like a pig being sent for slaughter.

Astrid's mother outright forbade such a notion, claiming the idea to be 'absolutely ridiculous that Astrid should have to carry the burden of Berks weakness'. But it was Stoick that had silenced the women and demanded that she not make it harder than was needed. That every Berkian was to play their duty in keeping Berk safe for generations to come. In Astrid's mind, the loss of his son turned Stoick bitter and so she wasn't surprised when he expected Astrid to give herself as the price. Astrid knew that she had no choice. That her chief would ask this of her and she would conform. Berk could not survive another attack. So, it was set that Astrid, when she came of age, would marry Dagur of the Berserkers. But it never happened.

Astrid soon passed the rightful age to marry and despite a continuous string of threats and warnings from Dagur, Stoick regarded the issue as if it didn't exist. Although Astrid was grateful, she knew that she was ready when the time would come. Threats went unfulfilled and soon Dagur lost his advantage as Berk was aided by some of the other clans and The Berserkers could not attack Berk without the retaliation of such clans. But Dagur was owed a bride and it was only so long that Stoick could deny him. And so it should not have come as a surprise that it was Dagur who launched the attack and took her. Although she could not fathom how he gained such control of the dragons and why he would not just kill the people from Berk instead of capturing them. She also couldn't work out why the _Hospitium?_ What was the point in killing them slowly? What was he doing to her as she was forced to sleep? The kind of images that came to mind, made her almost vomit on the spot; not that much would ever come up.

"How I love to watch that wonderful brain of yours try to work this one out." His Smile remained, sadistic and dangerous as ever. He peered through the bars like a savage dog looking at its dinner. Astrid forced away the shiver that crawled down her back and with all the strength that remained in her exhausted body. Astrid forced her features to remain stoic and plain.

"Have you resorted to kidnapping now Dagur? Seems like a low, even for you." She mocked and gained the satisfaction of noticing how he clenched his teeth.

"My dearest betrothed, although I do plan to marry you, I am sorry to say that your imprisonment was not my idea." Genuine guilt flickered over his face, but she refused to believe him.

"Then let me out."

"Ah, that I cannot do." He sucked his breath through his teeth.

Who then? if not Dagur then who wanted her and Berk so badly? What benefit was there to keep them alive? Berk had no royal secrets that needed to be kept, no extravagant riches or power, no quarrels with any of the other villages. It just didn't make sense.

"Can you at least tell me where in Hellas I am?"

Silence.

Dagur shook his head and slid to the ground, still eerily watching her through the bars.

"My dear, you ask all the wrong questions."

Astrid bit her tongue against the name. "Then tell me, are we still on a boat?"

"No."

One-word answers then, she concluded. "What colors do we live amongst?"

"Black."

She could not remember any clans that bore flags with a black crest. It made no sense. If it was not Dagur who kept her, then who? And why her? Why attack Berk only to take Berkians. Certainly not to threaten Stoick into paying their kidnapper to give her back and all the rest of them. He would never spend Berk's riches on getting a few of his people back.

"Who commands you?"

Nothing.

"Let me out."

...

"Guggh!" Astrid slammed her hand on the ground- a pitiful sound echoed the action and she bit against the pain of her weak bones as they connected with the hard stone.

Still, that infuriating grin remained plastered on Dagur's face. Astrid's temper flared. "Just tell me where I am!" she screamed, eliciting the same painful response from him. Dead silence and that grin.

Astrid made herself look away and to the ceiling. She heard the ruffle of clothes as Dagur stood. Finished with mocking her and began to walk away after a suspicious glance in the direction of Heather as she remained ignorant.

"It is not the where or who or why that you should be asking after. Ask the right question Astrid, and you and I might both make it out alive."

Before Astrid could ask what in the Gods name he meant, he was gone. So Astrid put her head back and closed her eyes, still seeing that smile.

* * *

Ragnarok is coming…

* * *

"I'm coming with you." Liogoo stood blocking the way out, her arms crossed firmly across her chest and her face unrelenting.

Not again, Liogoo was so over having her heart stop every time she walked into this bloody room and saw flat sheets on a dormant bed. He always did it on purpose, made out in the dead of night or late in the day after she had come running into the room, thinking he had left on some idiotic and impossible mission that would be more dangerous than the last.

It wasn't so much that she was angry at 'being left behind' as he had put it, but it was the crushing fear that he wasn't going to come back this time. That this one time he had bitten off more than he could chew and would get himself killed. She would die before she told him this though. Liogoo knew her fear was more than irrational, he was capable of taking care of himself, and if she did go, she thought she would probably just get in the way.

Avrid was arched over a sack as he carefully packed the things he would need. Parchment and sticks of charcoal, books, empty bottles, a wine-skin, and other bits. He waved a hand of dismissal in her direction.

"Look Liogoo, it's a simple case and Midgard is no more than a thorn in my side. I promise to be-"

"No. No, I don't care how 'careful you be.'" And this time she told the truth. "I know, Avrid." Her voice softened, barely a whisper in the echoing walls. "You told me yourself what you would do if you ever set foot in Midgard." Her voice was tight and low as she braced for him to snap at her, to tell her to mind her own business; she felt instant regret for bringing it up. But instead, he stopped packing and looked up to stare in her eyes. His did not hold the anger or pain she had anticipated, on the contrary, the emerald orbs were empty, the impassive mask he had so very well perfected. Liogoo sighed. No reaction was worse than one.

"That was a long time ago. It was an irrational boy that made those claims. That boy is dead." His voice echoed of nothing and so the sudden smile that flashed made Liogoo shut her retort.

"There is a high chance I won't be headed to Berk anyway." He simply stated and flung the small bag over his shoulder. "So you needn't worry about the safety of Berk." With a half-smile cracked in his face, he made to step past her.

"You know that's not how I meant it," she tried to interfere, fearing she had pushed too far. A small shake and his amused gaze searched hers. "You meant to say that you fear the women would be flabbergasted at my mere presence, so much so that they would work themselves into a tizzy and faint? Well I say, do not fret! I'll wear a hood." he demonstrated this by flipping up the black hood on his cloak.

Liogoo met his questioning stare. "Even so. As you said, it is not fun being left here and unfair of you to leave me with all the paperwork." His brows rose another centimeter, but she continued on, "I'm coming with you and that is that. I have tired of the never-ending gorgeous views and am in need of a break from the Light Elves. Certainly, you wouldn't deny a lady a stroll to Midgard? If only to make sure you do not woo the females to their unfortunate deaths with all that mysteriously, newly, gained, rugged, foreignness." She wiggled her fingers and, without waiting for an answer Liogoo turned on her heel, and quick as an arrow she hurried back to her quarters, muttering 'flabbergasted' under her breath. Where in the world did he come up with these words?

Liogoo resided on the East Wing of the Asylum, the guest residence.

The Asylum was, as Avrid called it, 'a safe house' somewhere that the people of Radox could seek sanctuary, a place to lie low. The average Asylum was built similarly to a rich man's manor and one was located in every realm. Each Asylum was a living thing, protecting its inhabitants and so, was sacred to every member of the Radox. The legendary founders of Radox were said to have built each building on the fallen brethren of the Lost War. The souls that had perished among the fires of the Gods. Souls that were used to build the Asylums. Of course, Liogoo knew it was foolish to believe such stories. It was only The Firsts that believed in those superstitions. They were merely tall tales told by the old folk that wanted nothing more than to scare young children into behaving for their parents. They were bedtime stories.

Liogoo reached her chambers and rushed into the familiar room, dashing this way and that, packing the bare minimum. She made her way as fast as she could to Avrid, glancing over her shoulder with a smile to look at her room again before she left. Finally, she thought. Finally she would travel with him instead of pacing her room at all hours of the day waiting to hear that telltale roar. Liogoo's heart filled with a million butterflies at the thought of it. Avrid traveled alone. Not only did he not need another's company aside from Toothless, but he refused to let another come with him, even though it was Radox policy to take a partner; he cared little for rules. If he allowed her to come with him then she barely dared to think of his feelings towards the matter. Liogoo had been pushing for years to become his partner. Had trained her ever since she had met him, to live up to his expectations, but he refused. Of course the day that she had followed him, then he had finally allowed her to accompany his mission, but her involvement was limited. But she did manage to save his life, at least that's what she told herself, it was more an accidental stumble. But from then on he treated her as much of a friend as Liogoo thought he knew how. Her persistence was rewarded and he became fond of her and she him, although Avrid still refused to let her be his official partner she still often sneaked her way in. But all her faked assurance that he would let her come was a complete gamble. She didn't put it past Avrid to leave without her. So, she forced herself to forget the butterflies that beat notes around in her stomach and focused on getting to Avrid before he flew away.

As Liogoo stepped out into the immaculately trimmed garden that was situated at the front of God Freyja's Asylum, she was not a moment too soon. Avrid sat atop his mighty beast, both man and creature were perched on one of the many lifted stone slabs; built for a dragon to take flight. Liogoo ran the last few yards and caught up to him; now he could not leave without either forcibly pushing her from the platform or letting The Black One's wings beat upon her. Liogoo smiled up at him and watched as he puffed his lips at the sight of her, as if he had indeed thought he could get away before she sought him out. If she was honest, another second and he would have.

But alas she stood there, daring him to deny her. Avrid met her gaze with equal stubbornness, as if to say get off, you are not coming. Liogoo, try as she might, could not meet that stare. Damn those eyes. She looked away, noticing as she did, the faint, triumphant tug of his lips. Without hesitation or help from Avrid, Liogoo pulled herself over the smooth scales of the night fury, who only slightly bent low so she could reach up. He too then, agreed with her in the importance of another friend when they went to Midgard. Liogoo subtly gilded her hand of the dragon's back in acknowledgment and settled herself behind Avrid. She noticed how he downright refused to look behind him. Avrid grunted when his dragon rumbled for confirmation that they were ready to go. Careful to stay far enough from him, Liogoo settled in the nook of the dragons back. It was uncomfortable and extremely hard to balance without the aid of a saddle, which is something that is normally used for flying. Whatever possessed him to fly without one was beyond Liogoo. The beast only shifted himself, getting used to the extra weight. She sent a silent apology and patted his side. Only until they hit open water and then she would dive into the water, her stomach fluttered with excitement.

It had been too long since she heard the friendly clap of the waves and gentle caress of the current. Long enough that her skin had become dry and itchy. Avrid would scold her, tell her not to be so reckless as to weaken herself by denying something so simple. But she hadn't wanted to tell him that she was doing so because of his recent disappearance, one that had had her stomach in knots.

She wasn't afraid to tell him, no not afraid of saying what she so desperately wanted him to hear. She was afraid of the self-hatred he would think of himself with. That if she told him she cared, he would detach again.

He would deem himself unworthy, a liar and fraud, because he hid something. Something he dared not even tell her. Something that had him already broken the day she had met him, and it wasn't that rat hole Berk. So she would keep quiet.

Would never tell him that she wanted him to live because she couldn't see it any other way, even when he found every and any way to rally danger.

"Ready?" Avrid's voice startled her and she blinked twice before answering. He took no notice and with an effortless leap they were in the sky.

No, it wasn't enough to make her risk it at all.

* * *

Ragnarok is coming...

* * *

An hour later, Avrid, Toothless, and Liogoo had made it to the edge of the realm's centre, flying past the millions of homes. The village seemed small from this distance, although Liogoo knew it was one of the largest trade areas in all of the nine realms. While the villagers carried out their daily lives, not one of them paid heed to the giant mass of muscle and flesh that flew above their heads, in the sky that drifted above them.

It was these people that Liogoo looked down on, she watched as a scavenger wickedly chatted the ears off a tradesman while snaking his hands around the merchandise, lifting as many apples as his pockets could carry; till his pockets resembled gant apples themselves. She watched as the baker strode from his kitchen and sat upon an obviously familiar rock, lighting a cigar and pressing it to his lips. She watched as the lives of 'normal' men and women played out.

Liogoo watched what she knew she could never again have, but she supposed it was shameful of her to regret actions of which the consequences were her own to bear. So, she thought not of the mortal life and of the immortal, a process in which reminded her of the sulking body in front of her.

Pissed. Yes he was pissed. Liogoo knew he only kept mute to annoy her, he knew her distaste at silence, but she would not yield, let him be the first to speak. Hellas herself would greet her before Liogoo broke the tangible thing that kept them quiet.

So, as another hour passed, Liogoo spoke.

Liogoo groaned. "Fine, you win. But when will we be there? You told me no more than an hour should pass and then the Sea of Vargess would appear. Might I state the obvious and say that it has been almost two hours?" Liogoo cracked the joints in her back in emphasis. "Also, I'd say that it is rather unflattering of you to huff like a child. All because you would rather to venture alone. Honestly, must I scold you?"

"No, but I'd have to say it would be rather beneficial if you would stop your yammering," Avrid turned to face her, a smirk of triumph plastered on his face.

Liogoo huffed a breath and rolled her eyes, looking to her side where a comfy blanket of clouds surrounded them, she could see nothing but endless sky.

"Make me, but you still have not answered my question, when will we be at shore, that blasted sun is like a hot coal burning me alive." It was not a lie, the itch of heat had become almost unbearable. "No time at all," Avrid replied, and they dived so suddenly that Liogoo had to grasp the fabric of Avrid's tunic to stop herself from tumbling into the unknown below.

At last the clouds disappeared and a blue, grumbling, sea took its place. Liogoo smiled and took in a long breath. What greeted her was salt and brine, the sting of fresh air in her throat and the anticipated release.

As Toothless came to an abrupt halt, hovering above the sea, Liogoo's nerves churned as excitement fluttered through her in a million humming butterflies. She practically bounced on the lizards back.

"Well? What are you waiting for? An invitation?" Liogoo did no such thing and instead, catapulted herself straight into the rumbling ocean and, with a gentle and silent dive, she was in the water.

Overwhelming pain spiked through every nerve in her body; tearing a curdling scream from her chest, the sound gobbled up by the sea. The change was always the same, always this brink of unbearable pain, to feel the remolding of her bones as they cracked, expanded and grew; as one body gave way for the other in screaming protest. She thrashed and screamed, waiting for the end. Waiting for that pain to give way to bliss; and bliss was what it was.

Liogoo considered the ocean like a best friend, like a sister. A sister of watery depths and beauty. The soul of the world that called to her own soul. Each current tickled, yet caressed her scales, stroking her with love. The ocean was her home, the land was amazing and wonderful and bright. New, different and strange but this was where she belonged. To swim amongst the colorful corals and each unique ocean child was home each creature a brother, sister and friend. But what she missed more was the speed. The ocean was her oyster - one giant, open, oyster and she was the shiny pearl. Liogoo wiggled her tail through the waters, relishing as the warm waters embraced her, and then she charged. Quick as a flash and undetectable to those above she dived down deeper and deeper, then suddenly turning and rising up and up and up until she broke from the water's surface. Her shimmering scales reflected the sun's rays making her shine like a diamond. Before splashing back into the water, Liogoo opened her eyes and caught a glimpse of Avrid's smile, her obvious joy infecting even his grumpy mood.

Liogoo turned in a circle to raise her head above the water.

"Come. If we're to make it to The Edge then we'll have to keep going. It's unfavourable to have to travel in the dark." Avrid states while nudging Toothless with his foot to move on.

The Edge was where they would travel into Midgard and it was a long distance from here to there, neither preferred to travel in the dark and so they headed off.

* * *

Ragnarok is coming...

* * *

Avrid flew above Liogoo as she swam through the sea, she could feel rather than see the giant shadow Toothless gave off. Liogoo guessed they had been travelling for over half the day now and as the sun began to fade into an orange glow, the once tropical warm waters began to turn freezing. Liogoo wasn't made for cold water. Her home were waters that, in the summer, if one looked close enough, they could see the steam layered upon it. So, as the trio headed out of Alfheim the corals and small bright dish disappeared and the waters became icy and unforgiving; the waves rougher and the current wilder.

She had to get out soon, before she became less creature and more ice-cube, but Avrid was going too fast. She was fast, but The Black Beast was faster. To catch up would mean he would have to hear over the clash of the waves above her she doubted Avrid could.

The temperature of the ocean began drop further, until it forced Liogoo to swim slower, her muscles becoming too stiff to continue. Her eyes began to lose focus and her heart beat too fast and too slow at the same time. Like it was giving all it had and yet not enough. Soon, Liogoo stopped altogether and it took all she had not to just let go and float to the bottom

But then something warm slammed into her body and pulled her with great force through the frigid water, slicing at her cheeks. Whatever it was, it held onto her with a fierce grip, almost suffocating. Before she could anticipate it, she was thrust from the water and the raw air slashed at her exposed skin and then she felt hard earth beneath her. She strained to see what had saved her, but the winter air's assault made her shiver uncontrollably and the best she could do was make out a pale face with eyes similar to her own. Straight away she knew who it was and she knew she was in trouble.

* * *

Ragnarok is coming...

* * *

Yes i am aware that this chapter has inexcusable time frame, but deal with it.

Next chapter? Well all i can say is that it'll be out when it's out.

looking forward to that review Shirzadym!

Please remember to go read my wonderful Beta's work, MpeachlinS!

love ya

~Crystal~


	6. Exhaustion

Chapter 5-

**'Exhaustion'**

* * *

**Ragnarok Is Coming…**

* * *

Astrid lay on her back, her eyes closed, although not asleep she was as still as if so. Without the relief of losing consciousness to slumber, Astrid focused on entertaining her thoughts by counting her breaths or by holding her breath until her vision went blurry and she could hear the thump of her own heartbeat and then she would breathe. So far, forty-five seconds was her best. She was so focused, that when the explosion trembled the earth like a great roar, Astrid nearly jumped out of her skin.

She wasn't completely sure if someone had just crashed a Monstrous Nightmare into a boulder but that was sure as Hel what it sounded like.

Astrid snapped her eyes open and scanned her surroundings, although she could see nothing out of place in the dark lit dungeon.

Gathering her strength Astrid lifted her body into a sitting position and called out for Heather; although unsurprisingly, the girl did not answer. At first Astrid didn't think anything of it. Heather's mood swings were fickle and she would often ignore Astrid just because she felt like it, but after she scrambled towards where Heather usually sat she realised that there was no response because Heather simply wasn't there. It was as if she had just vanished. Astrid hadn't heard the rattle of keys from a guard or Heather at all, she was just gone. Astrid, although, didn't have much time to ponder on Heather's mysterious disappearance as she heard someone across from her cough.

It wasn't uncommon, a cough. This dungeon wasn't exactly the cleanest or the most sanitary of places and people were bound to get sick, but it wasn't so much the cough that spiked Astrid's interest, more whom it derived from.

Her heart thumping a little faster, Astrid heaved herself on two feet, using the wall to scramble herself up. She stumbled to the bars and leant against them, craving their support. She forced her eyes to reveal who was in the cell opposite her. Unfiltered happiness bubbled in her chest as Astrid's sight caught a glimpse of none other than Ruffnut Thorston.

Her throat scratched and parched, Astrid called to the girl, hoping that it was indeed Ruffnut she saw and not another who resembled her. In hearing her name, Ruffnut caught sight of Astrid's face and gasped. She too, seemed relieved to see Astrid alive.

Astrid had never really been overly close with the Thorston twins, but seeing a familiar face that was alive, gave her hope that maybe not everyone she knew was dead.

"Ruffnut, where's Tuffnut? How are you here? Have you seen anyone else?" As Ruffnut heard her brother's name her face fell and sorrow brimmed in her eyes, something awful had happened and Astrid couldn't help but feel horrible she mentioned his name as Ruffnut turned her back on Astrid and sat down; her head between her hands.

"Ruffnut?" Astrid spoke tentatively. Ruffnut didn't answer. Assuming the worst, Astrid closed her eyes and lay her pounding head against the cold bite of the bars.

Suddenly, a clattering against the stone floor alerted Astrid that someone was coming, but she didn't have the energy to care. She wasn't due to go into the _Hospitium _anytime soon and although she felt sorry for whomever would disappear from their cell forever, she found it hard to care for them. Whatever fate had in store for them, it couldn't be worse than being half-starved to death and without the privilege to sleep. Heaving a sigh, Astrid let go of the bars and slowly dropped to the ground again.

Soon, she thought. Soon her end was bound to come, either forced by her hand or fate.

In the distance, down the corridor of the cells, Astrid could see the flicker of an orange glow. Strange, she thought. Normally the guards were as used to the darkness as the prisoners they watched over, whoever was coming was not one the usual visitors. Apparently the others around her thought the same thing for she heard the shuffle of limbs as they no doubt pulled themselves out of sight of what was coming; praying they were not on its agenda.

The glow of a torch grew brighter and the click of footsteps louder, until they stopped. Opening her eyes Astrid seemed to be proved wrong, she was, in fact, the object of interest. On the other side of her bars stood the silhouette of two men. The darkness hid most of their features but Astrid could see enough to know she did not know the men.

Too exhausted to care, Astrid barely registered the rough command ordering her to get up. The high-pitched jingle of keys seemed to hammer into her very skull and she almost barked at the man to stop when she heard the familiar screech of her cell door opening.

"Dangmö, carry her, she appears too weak to walk," the same voice that had first spoken ordered the guard behind him. A strong pair of arms lifted her limp body into a standing position. With the new angle, Astrid looked at the man holding the torch. She squinted against the bright light, but she could see that it was neither Dagur nor any of the other alchemists. Perhaps they finally realised she was more dead than alive and were going to end her misery, Astrid hoped that was the case; she couldn't imagine being forced to spend another minute fighting the gnawing claws of hunger.

The guard began to push her forward following the man holding the torch. His hand firm on her arm, she was more or less being dragged by the guard, Dangmö. Astrid's steps were heavy and she stumbled more than she walked. The lack of shoes or any form of protection against the scratch of the stone floor didn't help either. Her head hung and Astrid fought the urge to fall and crumple into a ball and beg them to just leave her alone.

"I don't think she'll make it to Drago, sir," the guard that was carrying Astrid murmured. She almost laughed, no shit? I'd like to see them in my shoes; or lack thereof, she thought.

Casting a glance at her weak form, the man in front shook his head, "It doesn't matter, Drago wants her now, delaying wouldn't be wise, you know as well as I do," he replied gruffly and continued walking.

Dangmö pulled her arm over his shoulder and Astrid almost sighed as she leaned all her weight on the guard. With Astrid being more or less carried by the guard they seemed to move a lot faster through the parallel rows of cells and soon she could see a winding set of staircases at the end of the corridor.

Anticipating the amount of time and effort it would take Astrid to make it up those stairs the man in front ordered the guard to carry her. Dangmö let go of Astrid briefly before she felt an arm behind her legs and the other at her back. The guard began carrying Astrid bridle-style up the stairs. If Astrid had any sense of dignity left, her cheeks would have flushed red with embarrassment at how close she was to the guard, and with how little she was wearing; she could practically feel each beat of his heartbeat. In what seemed like no time at all, the three of them came out of what Astrid realised was a trapdoor in what seemed to be another dungeon. Great, she thought, I'm just being upgraded.

Expecting to be dropped to the ground, Astrid was surprised when they began walking to the other end of the room where the door was. Beside the dungeon sat two guards. One got up to open the door whilst the other walked to the trapdoor and with a thud, closed it behind them. The guard at the door nodded to Dangmo in acknowledgement and when he looked at Astrid's pathetic form folded in Dangmö's arms Astrid could swear she saw a hint of sympathy in them.

Placing the torch in the sconce, the man in front continued walking and she was carried through the door and into what seemed like a room for storage. Bags of what looked like rice and oats had been piled on top of each other and to the side, Astrid could see crates of all sorts of fruit and vegetables piled to the ceiling. Need like she had never felt before coursed through her food deprived body and she struggled uselessly against Dangmö's grip, but all too soon they passed through the room and all hope of food gone too.

Astrid felt like crying. Could they not see? She was practically fading before their eyes. Astrid looked up into the guard's face. He was impassive, dark eyes forward, and without emotion. It was almost as if he was… used to this?

Breathing in, Astrid closed her aching eyes the rest of the way of wherever they were going. If she so much as caught a whiff of food Astrid wasn't sure she was completely incapable of clawing at the guard to get what she wanted.

It was a while before Astrid heard the man in front speak, "You would be better setting her down now Dangmö." Dangmö nodded and lowered Astrid to the ground. Without the warmth and support, Astrid felt as if she had been ripped from her only source of comfort and almost tumbled to the floor, had Dangmö not lifted her up by the shoulders pulling her along.

Looking around her, Astrid realised they had walked into some sort of foyer. In front of her, past the man, there was an eloquent looking set of double doors. Up close, Astrid could see the intricacy of detail in the smooth carvings. There seemed to be a picture to it, a lion's head on either side of the doors, each with their mouths roaring open. Behind the lions was a single rose on each side, one looked wilted and dead; the petals ebbing away. On the other side, the rose looked vibrant and almost glowing, but it looked different. Almost as if the rose was fuller, more compact of petals with something in the middle of the flower's center.

Pulling her away, the guard guided her to the right and down another passageway. Truly, Astrid was ready to completely collapse, only her curiosity of where in Hela's realm they were taking her, made her keep going.

At the end of the corridor was an arch opening with billowing silk curtains shielding what lay beyond. The guard pushed aside the fabric leaving Astrid to squint against the blinding light of the sun that came shining in full force onto her pale face. Pulling her arm against her eyes Astrid followed the guard through the door.

"Careful of the step," the guard warned but it was too late. Astrid fell headfirst through the door, narrowly missing the man in front but very much smacking into the mucky ground. Laying there, Astrid groaned against her weak limbs that shook as she somehow found the will to pull herself up. She could feel the dull stinging on her knees and elbows as she pushed herself to keep walking. Dangmö clutched her arm tight and allowed Astrid to lean herself against him. It was only now that Astrid noticed the warm sun in her face, she wished she could pause and just find comfort in the sun's warm touch, but alas, the guard kept walking.

Around her, Astrid could see nothing but endless, lush gardens. Pink rose bushes lined to her right and left creating a perfect circular wall of flowers. There were strange trees with long drooping leaves that hung low and in the crescent of the leaves a small, brown sphere ball nestled like a precious jewel. In the centre, there was a pond as large as a small lake with flowering lily pads and at each side there a wooden bench. The flower beds were a riot of May colour and even on closer inspection, they were weed-free. The setting sun had begun to create a sky of fire, the orange of every wintry hearth and healthy tangerines, but before the flames in the sky, there were soft hues of pinks and soft reds. It was beautiful, the first beautiful thing Astrid had seen in a very long time.

On one of the benches, there was the large figure of a man, a man that this time, Astrid knew. This was the Drago they had spoken of. Before, when the guard had spoken the name something had tugged at her brain but being able to put a face to the name began to ring a series of very alarming bells. Drago's cruel, pure evil face was the last thing Astrid saw before he shoved a cloth over her mouth and she woke for the first time in that pit of a dungeon.

Whatever Drago could want with her now, Astrid had no idea, but she had a feeling it couldn't be good. As they got closer, Astrid's heart began to thump faster.

"Your Highness, the Immune you sent me to fetch," the man that had been leading them bowed and indicated an arm towards Astrid. Drago's vile eyes roamed across what seemed like every inch of Astrid's slim, weak form; suddenly Astrid felt very naked in her thin, dirt-caked gown and she had to cross her arms against the vicious stare.

"Yes, indeed you have." His voice was rough and sounded as gravely as the first dreadful time she had heard it and not for the first time, she wished she could hide away from this evil man.

"Paeton, send the guard to fetch me something to eat. Some chopped apples and bread." Drago smiled crookedly as Paeton nodded to Dangmö. Strangely, Astrid felt less comfortable without the steady presence of the guard keeping her up and as he left her side, Paeton seemed to realise her incapability to stand on her own two feet as he replaced the guard; allowing Astrid to rest her side on him. Paeton was much taller than the other guard and now as she looked, Astrid could make out a quite harrowing scar that ran angrily across the right side of his face, although looking up had begun to make Astrid's head spin far more than she could bear and she looked reluctantly back at Drago.

He seemed to be watching her every move and she wished someone would speak to break the silence, unfortunately, it was the wrong someone who spoke.

"I can only guess the list of questions you might have for me, and if you let me, I can explain them all but I implore you to listen to what I have to say first." Drago offered the spare seat beside him with a hand, but Astrid stayed rooted to the spot. Smiling, Drago continued, taking her silence as an answer. And so he began.

"I have been alive a lot longer than you, fair one, and I have seen horrors that you couldn't even imagine, but you shall hear of that soon.

"I had a family once. We lived on a small bit of land in our village and being a fisherman, my wife and I built a small wooden cottage just beside the sea. We lived happily as a married couple and soon after being wed my wife was blessed with a child. I was there when she was born, my daughter that is. We named her Castra after the Goddess Fair's daughter hoping it would bring health and happiness to our daughter. She looked so much like her mother I found it would be hard to distinguish each beauty from the other. A few years passed and still, we lived peacefully and without quarrell; that was until they came.

"Like giant evil beasts, they came over the island, their shadows blocking out the sky almost completely leaving us in shadows. I was in fear for my family. We knew of dragons, of course, everyone did and we had heard of other villages being raided and drained of their food stores but never our little island. Neighbours began screaming as they were attacked and their own loved ones maimed, I had been fishing when they had arrived, so I ran to my home, praying to the Gods that my loved ones were alive and safe; but the Gods weren't listening.

I arrived at the house that I had built along with my wife and watched as my daughter was torn in two. My wife lay motionless and casted aside, carelessly on the roof of the house. I ran despite having only a small blade that I would use to cut pieces of fish bait and I killed that dragon, but it didn't matter, they were dead. So, that night I buried the two parts of my daughter and managed to get my wife off the roof. I buried my wife beside her daughter, marked their graves and burned the house down."

If Astrid didn't feel the constant gnaw of hunger at the pit of her empty stomach and the overbearing pounding in her head, she would have thought her own imagination had finally decided to entertain itself. The story Drago told was horrifying and yet, as he told it, there wasn't even the smallest flicker of grief or pain as he reminisced the death of his family. The man was truly heartless. Astrid glanced up to the face of Paeton to see his reaction of the brutal story but he seemed as emotionless as the man telling the story.

"That night, the village I lived in helped me to capture a dragon, we lured it with fresh meat and it gladly fell into our trap. It was a magnificent beast; huge and monstrous and so I broke it. Let it foolishly waste its fire and then I broke the creature until it saw me as its master. Then I did the same with another dragon and then another and another until I had a sizable amount of dragons at my will. Stupid creatures they were.

"Tying one to the helm of my boat I gathered the villagers and we set sail with the creature leading me to its nest. The dragon I found there was huge, bigger than any dragon I had ever seen, but it was not what I was looking for. When I found the beast I had been searching for I tamed it. It was no easy feat and I lost my arm in the process but once I had the beast it brought me an army."

Drago stopped and looked to Astrid as if gauging her reaction on the matter. It seemed as if he was looking for her approval. Uncomfortable, Astrid looked to the ground, hoping he would finish soon.

Drago looked up to the sky, his eyes flitting across its beauty. "It's a long story and not one I should feel privileged to tell you, but know that I am a very powerful man."

Astrid's confusion intensified tenfold. Why should she care? Does he want a round of applause? He's taken everything he possibly could and with Astrid on the brink of death there was nothing she could fight back with.

"Why should I care?" Even Astrid was surprised at how weak she sounded. When she spoke it sounded barely like a whisper. But Drago seemed to have heard her just fine.

"Don't play games with me. No one in this realm is immune to my serum and yet you are. It would make even the least gullible of men think you are not from this realm." His voice was clipped, frustrated even.

Astrid almost laughed outright. This man is mad, no, not mad, insane! Another realm? Someone must have poisoned his water hole because if there was ever a mad man, then this was him.

In her silence Drago had begun to lose his temper and he let out a long breath.

"Take her away and bring her to the East Wing." And with that Drago waved a dismissive hand her way, got up, and walked away.

Astrid could only stare at the giant hulk that limped further into the distance. It was only now that she noticed his right arm was in fact gone; replaced by some sort of metal replica of what his arm should have been.

Strange Astrid thought, the sky was going dark. Like someone was turning out the lights of the world. The last thing Astrid thought as she succumbed to utter darkness was that she wouldn't be able to count the stars one last time.

...oOo...

Astrid groaned. Gods her head hurt. Still fuzzy as she began to wake up, Astrid slowly opened her eyes. Slowly and reluctantly, she uncovered her face. Astrid blinked, closed her eyes, and blinked again. Streaks of sunlight came through a window and the blinding light seemed on a warpath straight to her eyes.

Yawning, she rubbed the palms of her hand against the blurriness in her eyes and began to sit up and then Astrid's heart fell as memories came flooding back. The dungeon, Tuffnut, Drago. Looking around her, Astrid tried to figure out where she was.

The room Astrid was in was unsettlingly empty, as if all the colours had been stripped from a canvas. Everything was a crystal clear white. The walls, floor, and as Astrid glanced at herself, she seemed to have been dressed in a plain white robe. Along the front of the room was a row of spread out cots, each adorned the same stark white sheets as her own cot. To Astrid's left there was a large window the size of the entire wall, a wall that was more glass than stone.

"Hello there." The soft feminine voice made Astrid jump and turn to the sound. From a door Astrid hadn't originally noticed, a woman began walking towards Astrid. Astrid could tell she was rather young, older than herself but still slight and youthful. She had dark black hair that had been bunched up into a neat bun on the top of her head and wore a tidy white frock.

The woman carried an assortment of coloured bottles carefully in her arms. She had a friendly smile on her face as she looked over at Astrid. She began setting the coloured bottles on a small bedside table beside Astrid.

"You were in a terrible state when you arrived, barely clinging to life. I managed to get some fluids in your system and you've gotten some well needed rest. How do you feel now?"

Astrid assumed the woman was a nurse as she began examining her, checking Astrid's pulse, and studying her eyes.

Astrid swallowed past the dryness in her throat, "Better, thanks." Nodding, the nurse began mixing some of the liquids she had brought into a bowl.

The nurse offered the bowl to Astrid, "This will help with the headache." Taking it from her, Astrid looked into its contents, she really didn't want to drink that. The liquid had taken a suspicious brown colour and smelled worse than a Vikings breath. Grimacing against the odour, she plugged her nose and chugged. As soon as she finished Astrid wanted to hurl the foul stuff up, but she had to admit her head had begun to clear; the pain ebbing away to nothing.

"There, that's better. Now I'm just going to grab you something to eat and then the guards will take you to your room," the nurse stated, but Astrid grabbed her arm before she could go.

"Where am I? Please, I need answers and don't give me some vague bullcrap," Astrid pleaded, she was fed up with being kept in the dark about everything.

Sighing, the nurse pried Astrid's weak fingers off her arm and sat at the end of her cot. Excited to finally be getting some answers, Astrid sat up and leaned against the headboard.

"Where are you from?" the nurse asked.

"Berk," she replied.

"Well, from berk, you're quite far away. Further south."

Astrid wasn't aware of any major settlements south, that was the kind of stuff Chief Stoick would have known.

"What is an Immune and what does Drago mean that I'm immune to 'his serum'?"

"Being an Immune is your salvation, no doubt it's the only reason you're alive right now. The serum is something that I can't tell you much of. I don't really know much myself and what I have heard is nothing but rumours from the servants. But listen to me carefully." The nurse lowered her voice, she held a warning in her eyes as she looked at Astrid.

"Don't ask questions. Trust me, whatever the answer is, it is worse than what you can imagine. Surviving should be your only goal. And whatever you do, just follow the rules." Patting Astrid's hand, the nurse got up and went back the way she had come.

Astrid exhaled, now she was even more baffled. Astrid slid her legs out from the sheets and stood on the cold marble floor. Astrid hissed at the sting that reverberated through her feet. She lifted her leg and gasped at the mass of scrapes and cuts across the bottom of her feet.

Awsome, she thought bitterly. Biting against the sting, Astrid got up and began walking to the glass-wall. Astrid assumed she was on one of the higher levels as she could see quite far across the island. She could discern now it was in fact an island she was on. Far in the distance the land met sea and far into the horizon there was only sea.

The nurse was telling the truth, wherever Astrid was she was definitely somewhere South. The island was different. The grass was greener and the trees were strange. It was something Astrid had only really seen in survival books in Berk. Tropical islands with blistering hot days and freezing cold nights. She could see similarities in the pictures she had studied and the scene before her now.

It was beautiful. Before the eye there was nothing but an abundance of exuberant vegetation of all sorts of vibrant colours. Brilliant, tall palm leaves swayed gently in the morning breeze. It was unfortunate the island was ruled by a monster like Drago who ravaged smaller, weaker tribes, killing off their people.

Walking back to the cot, Astrid looked about for something a bit more comfortable to walk about in but her search turned out useless. Everything in the room was so empty there wasn't anywhere to look, she just had to hope that the nurse had something for her to wear other than the same ragged gown she had been subject to wearing.

Not too long later, the nurse came back through the door but this time she was carrying a tray of food and draped over her arm was a collection of clothes. She wore the same friendly smile as she set the tray on the bottom of the cot and handed Astrid the bundle of neatly folded clothes, they were surprisingly light. Astrid thanked the women and set down the clothes, her attention was far more focused on the helpings of food.

There were apples and a bowl of something that looked like oatmeal and all sorts of other fruits. Astrid lifted an apple and if she could have opened her mouth any wider she would have eaten the apple in one bite. As it was, she took off a quarter of it in one bite and, barely tasting it; she chewed halfway and took another bite, barely pausing to breathe. It was so Gods damn good. Like she had never eaten an apple before in her life, she finished it in less than no time.

Although Astrid felt no need for pretentious manners, she had to chaste herself from actually moaning as she swallowed a spoonful of the oatmeal. The nurse, knowing this was definitely her first meal in she didn't know how long, went to leave, although she alerted the guards as she left the girl alone.

When Astrid had finished the entirety of the food on the tray, she looked at the clothes the nurse had left and for the first time she realised there was nowhere she could go to actually get changed. Although the nurse had left and there was currently no one else around, she wasn't exactly comfortable just changing in the open, but there were no other options.

As fast as was possible, Astrid dressed herself, pulling on the light material over her thin limbs. Although Astrid didn't have the chance to fully inspect, she grudgingly noticed how pathetically skinny she had become. All her life Astrid spent every spare minute building muscle and toning herself and often she prided herself on how pleased she was with her own body. But now she looked no better than a walking skeleton and dressing herself had taken all her energy leaving her breathing heavily after.

Once dressed, Astrid waited by the cot for the nurse to tell her what was happening next, she even folded and tidied the sheet on the bed as she waited. After what felt like twenty minutes a guard came through the same doors as the nurse. It was the same guard that had taken her from the dungeon, Paeton. The same one that had heard the gruelling story Drago had told her.

"I will escort you to your living quarters, if you would follow me." Paeton beckoned Astrid through the door. Complying, Astrid followed the guard.

They walked in silence. The only sounds were her bare feet padding on the smooth stone floor and the rhythmic click of heels. Astrid crossed her arms over her chest and looked around at where the guard was taking her.

They seemed to be going through a maze of corridors that, as Astrid tried to remember their layout she got utterly lost. Astrid came to the conclusion she was in a castle, a rather rich castle. On each door heavy gold handles had been placed and as she looked around everything was rather luxurious and eloquent. Nothing had any indications of mould or rot and on some walls huge exquisite tapestries had been hung. They depicted the same picture Astrid had seen on the huge doors.

"So, how did you get here?" Astrid knew it was a random question but she wanted to break the silence.

"Same as you." His voice was clipped, not in the mood for questions huh?

"Well you seem to be a guard but not a guard, more authority if you know what I mean." Astrid prodded, hoping to get a conversation out of him.

"I'm captain of the guards," he responded.

"Well what's the Captain doing escorting a simple prisoner? I don't have to tell you I'm certainly not a threat."

"Drago ordered it." That one made Astrid mentally stumble. It was all so confusing. Why her? What made Astrid so special that she got saved from the dungeon? Whatever it was, it had something to do with being an Immune, whatever that meant.

Astrid stayed silent the rest of the way and soon they came to a set of doors. They were larger than the average ones and had two lion paws instead of door handles. Paeton opened the door to reveal a massive library. Astrid wasn't a big reader, but the collection of books was enough to make even Astrid gasp in astonishment.

Paeton kept walking, urging Astrid on past a cozy area in the corner of the room where a fireplace lay dormant with a few sets of chairs and sofas scattered around it. At the very end of the room there was a hidden opening behind one of the floor-to-ceiling bookshelves. An entire corridor lay beyond the opening. This passageway was a lot wider than the ones throughout the castle with three other guards stationed outside three doors. Astrid wondered what could be behind those other doors.

Paeton nodded towards the other guards and they returned the gesture as he led Astrid towards another door that did not have a guard outside. Opening the door Paeton indicated Astrid to step through. Hesitantly, Astrid walked through and was shocked to find how lavish it was.

In the centre of the first room she walked into was a small, sturdy, oak, table with three rich red settees and an impressive chandelier hanging in the center; its crystals caught the morning glow of the sun and reflected it in a million blades of light. Beneath the table and surrounding almost the entire circumference of the room was a patterned rug. At the end of the room were two closed doors and whatever was in there was sure to be as lavish as the first room.

Astrid was speechless, this couldn't be where they were keeping her? From a dank, mouldy cell to a living area more lavish than anything Astrid had ever seen before?

Sensing her astonishment, Paeton pushed her the rest of the way through the door and stepped in himself closing the door behind them. Suddenly, the room became rather small with just the two of them and although Paeton hadn't done anything to make her mistrust him, he also hadn't done anything for her to trust him.

Thankfully, he began walking to one of the doors. Astrid followed him and found this was a sizable kitchen area; pots and pans lined one side of the wall while the other held a firepit and rack.

"This is where you will stay but you will be working for your keep. During the day you will stay in here. At night you will be with the other servants completing the same work as they do. A maid will come during the day to prepare food and one of the alchemists should come up as well. You will not refuse anything they give you nor will you give the servants, guards or alchemists any sort of rebellion, is this clear?"

Astrid nodded slightly.

"Myself and three other guards will be stationed outside that door." Paeton pointed to the first door they had come through and Astrid followed his gaze as he continued,

"There is no way out other than through there and wherever you go I shall be watching. Drago has personally requested that you meet him for dinner each night. You would do well to comply." With that, the Captain walked back out of the kitchen and through the door.

Astrid held no doubt that Paeton stood on the other side of that door. One thing was clear, she wasn't leaving anytime soon. The nurse had told her not to ask questions, to focus on surviving but Astrid didn't know if she could. There were so many questions she wanted to ask but whom would she even approach? Certainly not Drago, she dreaded having to spend one minute with the vile creature never mind an entire dinner. She also had a feeling that Paeton wouldn't give her the answers she wanted.

Exhaling, Astrid explored what was now her quarters. In total there were four rooms. A sitting room, bedroom, kitchen and bathroom and each were as extravagant as the was still rather early in the afternoon and despite the heavy meal Astrid had no less than an hour ago, she was famished. Searching about in the cupboards in the kitchen, Astrid looked for something to eat, but her search came up empty.

Although, she did manage to finally find a pair of slippers in the bedroom that had a concerning size of a bed for one person. In the bedroom was a large window, although, beyond the glass was a large drop that even if Astrid managed to smash the window without Paeton discovering her or impaling herself on the glass, there was no way she could survive the drop. Instead of wallowing on the things she couldn't do Astrid focused on what she could: sleep.

The huge four-poster bed was beautiful, the sheets were unbelievably soft and whatever the bedding was made of, it felt like sitting on fluffy clouds but it was too comfy. Astrid had spent so much time laying against jagged rocks and hard floors that the soft bed was too soft. So, she pulled the sheets off and carried them to the sitting area, lay down on the sofa and for the first time in a long time, Astrid Hofferson fell into a dreamless sleep.

...oOo...


	7. Reunions

Chapter 6-

**'Reunion' **

* * *

**Ragnarok is Coming...**

* * *

Liogoo knew she was in trouble. If not for the look in his eyes, then it was the chill in her bones. Her mind was too fuzzy to contemplate much, nevermind the man that stood above her.

She closed her eyes, her breaths came in short rasps as cold air claimed her bare flesh. With effort, Liogoo managed to shift into her human form. Every muscle in her body began shivering uncontrollably. Opening her eyes, she saw Tannis, the man who had just saved her. He wore a large, heavy, white cloak with dark splats as water droplets fell off his stark black hair and onto the material. Unfocusing her vision, Liogoo took in her surroundings.

They were on a small shore and behind Tannis she could see an overflow of towering vegetation; a forest. If she was to guess, Liogoo would say they weren't actually that far from The Edge. Before she had near frozen to death, they had been making steady progress and would have arrived before sunset.

Now, Liogoo had no idea where Avrid even was. He could have gone on without her not noticing she wasn't in the waves beneath him, he could even be at the Edge already.

Shivering and bare, Liogoo pulled herself up and, using her essence, willed the wind around her to warm, but it wasn't much use; the air was too fridged. She scowled at Tannis as he turned away from her and jogged into the forest and away from the beach. Moments later he came out with a large leaf, almost the size of her entire body. Liogoo let out a small bitter chuckle.

"Seriously? A leaf?" She mocked, raising her eyebrows and looking pointedly at Tannis.

Avoiding looking at Liogoo's general vicinity, Tannis shrugged. "At least use it to cover yourself."

Grumbling, Liogoo stood and snatched the leaf from him. Its veins were bumpy and, she could almost imagine how pathetic she looked holding the thick stalk trying to cover as much as she could.

Tannis was a man Liogoo knew well, they had grown up together. He was a brother of a brother to her family's court and so, as a royal, they had grown up playing and were close friends, he too was a Siren.

When they were younger, Tannis was skinny and lanky with a bruise on almost every visible part of his skin. He had a squeaky voice and was overly sensitive to the point his parents had once wondered if there was something wrong with him. In front of Liogoo now, he was no longer her Tannis.

He had muscles she could make out even behind the cover of his cloak. Although he was still visibly rather tall, he had somehow grown into himself; no longer looking like some god had stretched him at birth. He reminded her now of a great oak tree. Strong, sturdy, and confident: not her Tannis.

He stood in the colour of her mother's royal guard, the same royal guard that was sent to recover Liogoo. It was not a fate she had expected her best friend would take. To become another one of her mother's lapdogs, although it did not surprise her; Tannis had a thirst for adventure much the same as Liogoo. He had always been handsome in her eyes, but then it had been a delicate beauty. One that not many could see, but it was in the bright blue of his eyes and the small contours of his face that gave him his attraction. By now he was no doubt married. A small sliver in Liogoo's heart ached at the thought but she pushed such emotions away and focused on her anger at him.

Tannis was supposed to be her friend, not sworn to her mother, and therefore, sworn to find and bring Liogoo back to a kingdom she did not wish to rule. He knew of this, it was the reason she was so furious at him. Liogoo had never made it a secret how little she wanted to be the next ruler in the watery kingdom. Yet, Tannis had sworn his soul away to do her mother's bidding which happened to be caging Liogoo in her own hell.

Tannis seemed ignorant of her anger. "You know why I am here?"

Liogoo pressed her lips together and had to physically restrain herself from saying something very vulgarly and rude.

"Of course." She smiled back bitterly. "So you may as well leave empty-handed. I am not about to be lugged like some prize back to Nidavellir."

Suddenly, Liogoo's sensitive ears picked up the familiar sound of strong beating wings, as did Tannis, and he looked to the sky to see a Night Fury soaring towards them. A smug smile replaced her bitter one. Liogoo's heart fluttered in anticipation at what Tannis' reaction would be to Avrid.

Quietly he moved to block Liogoo's body from the Night Fury as if he was scared Liogoo would be unable to protect herself. As it descended onto the beach in a whirlwind of sand, she could barely see past Tannis's tall frame.

Avrid, donned in his signature black attire, slid off Toothless and Liogoo could see Tannis' shoulders tense; ready in case either dragon or man decided to attack. Liogoo tried to see Avrid as Tannis possibly saw him now.

A black cloak that swirled and swiped around in the singing wind with the hilt of a blade poking out from beneath as if demanding attention. Avrid had always held an aura of something about him, before, Liogoo had once thought it was a mysteriousness that he had intended or even an intentional dangerous look. As she knew him now, Liogoo saw it was a mask of some sort. Something he used that veiled whatever he hid and it made him look unpredictable, menacing, and dangerous. Black gloved hands reached up to pull down his hood revealing a furious face as he looked over to Liogoo. A small telling of a tattoo curled around the base of his left ear, jaw, and down his neck. Even without having seen it herself, Liogoo knew the tattoo went further than that.

Although Tannis did not have a weapon to fight this stranger and the dragon he had tamed he was prepared to flee to the frigid waters if that is what he needed to do to keep the princess safe.

"Do you know this man Liogoo, or do you want me to kill him for his arrogance to leave you naked while he wears a bedsheet?" Avrid sneered. Liogoo could hear the anger in his voice as he took in the pathetic leaf she used.

Growling, Tannis crossed his arms. "I have come in the name of Queen Lael Forgenni Huil who has summoned her daughter back to the palace to take her rightful place as Princess to become Queen. If you refuse this then you make an enemy out of the Queen, so I suggest that you get back on your dragon and leave, _Gúigráìn_."

A tense silence followed as Avrid stood still and Tannis watched the other man wearily. There was no doubt Tannis knew he could not fight this man. Not only was there a Night Fury at his right but the way he stood made Tannis nervous of him.

Tannis knew exactly who this was, he was a sight many were either familiar with or warned of. Avrid Gúigráìn Oläńń, a simple human but a Kohuru to the Radox and one with a reputation. In his eyes, Tannis did not understand how a human with no advantages was able to not only be accepted by Radox, but become one of the most feared warriors they ever had.

He hoped that Avrid would take his warning and not call his bluff. Finally, Avrid's mouth broke into a smile and he let out a grumbling fake laugh; this only put Tannis' nerves into even more of a flurry.

"Your queen calls her daughter, but does her daughter want to return? I suppose if you have come like a hound to fetch her then she does not. I can assure you taking this woman without her consent is not something that you will achieve. There have been many before you that have tried, but I suppose I need not tell you they didn't succeed." Toothless let out a taunting grumble.

"I suggest that you move so I can give the princess something to wear." Without an answer, Avrid walked to Lioggo, shoved past Tannis and took off his own cloak. He wrapped it around her still shivering body before turning to Tannis again.

"Why does her majesty request Liogoo?" Avrid questioned the guard as he crossed his arms. Toothless glared at Tannis with slitted eyes and began circling the three of them murderously, even to Liogoo, who knew next to nothing about dragons, saw it was clearly a warning.

Gulping, Tannis tried to ignore the menacing beast.

"The queen requests Princess Hild because she is dying and in need of a successor."

Tannis' face was set in an irritated frown, he did not like nor trust Avrid and was certainly not about to tell the man of the frightful situation of his court. Although, it was true and if the crown did not fall to Liogoo's head then another would claim the throne and that other was not someone anyone wished to be king.

Irritated that she was being spoken of as if she wasn't there, Liogoo let out an exasperated sigh.

"If you wouldn't mind me interrupting, I would like to make it clear to you Tannis, that I am no longer Princess of the watery kingdom. I have joined Radox and I intend to stay loyal there."

Tannis nodded his head in acknowledgement but looked conflicted. "Rumors of such a thing had carried and if so, then the queen requested your services as a asks that you find a suitable heir to her throne in hopes that you can make the right decision as Miko, son of Huilson is the rightful heir but not a favourable one."

Liogoo knew exactly who Miko was: a man of greed and without vision. He would destroy the kingdom and wage wars that he could not win but it did not sway her decision.

"Well if you have a request with Radox then you should go to a First, but don't hold your breath. Your kingdom is on the very bottom of their agenda; or have you not heard? Loki is on the run and he is our main priority." Liogoo spoke with acid in her voice and she watched as Tannis grew even more frustrated. He raked a hand through his wet hair and exhaled sharply.

Although he tried to keep a political attitude he felt as if he was losing the battle. With an Elder of the Radox backing her up, Tannis didn't have high hopes of persuading Liogoo to do anything with him around.

"I have news Princess Hild, that may sway you but I cannot say in the company of another who isn't of the royal court."

Tannis looked suggestively at Avrid. Although she didn't think Tannis would attempt to just grab her and run, Liogoo wasn't sure whether she wanted to be left alone with him.

"I'll call if he attempts anything." Liogoo nodded at Avrid, she knew that if Tannis wouldn't say whatever it was out in the open then it was something of importance.

Taking the hint, Avrid and Toothless simultaneously began walking further down the beach. When they were a safe distance away Liogoo looked back to Tannis.

"Speak." She snapped. She did not care for what Tannis had to say and would rather he just hurried it up. Although Avrid's cloak was warm and soft against her bare skin and covered every inch of her in dark, black fabric; Liogoo would rather not have to stand naked in the view of anyone. She also hated the idea of Avrid thinking she was a burden with her past catching up to her.

"Your kingdom is in ruins. People are rebelling against your mother everyday and we suspect her illness was not a coincidence."

"Someone poisoned her?" Liogoo asked in surprise.

"It is what we suspect. The people of the kingdom do not accept your mother's rule, especially without a king. They think she is unfit for the crown because she is a woman and a widow."

"Then why does she not just marry again? I know my mother, she would have no quarrels with re-marrying." It was true, Liogoo knew her mother was not exactly a white dove and had in the past seeked out the company of many males after her father had died.

Tannis tilted his head and grimaced. "There have been no proposals of marriage, no one wants your mother on the throne; no matter if it would make them king. She needs you to come home."

Liogoo clenched her jaw. "I'm not coming back, you don't understand, Radox is my home now. When you return, tell my mother that she needs to forget about me coming to save her because it will never happen."

"So you will just leave everyone to the fate of Miko? That is selfish and cowardly of you."

"Watch your tongue." Despite knowing he was speaking the truth, Liogoo still refused to believe it was her responsibility to solve her mother's problems. "

What about my sisters? They are just as fit to rule as I?"

"Really?" It was his turn to mock. "You think Ara or Jyno could run a kingdom? Ara spends her days as a lovesick teenager going after any male that gives her attention and Jyno does not have a touch of the leadership that you possess."

"Remember your place guard, that 'lovesick teenager' is still your princess." Liogoo snapped.

"You prove me right! You were born to rule, to be queen. Why can't you accept this and save us all?" Tannis sounded exasperated but this was nothing she hadn't heard before. Throughout the four years Liogoo had been a Kohuru, she had bumped into many of her mother's Royal Guards and each of them pleaded with her the same thing.

Shaking her head, Liogoo ran her hands through her hair. It was mostly dry now and the wind whipped the strands in her face. She was exhausted of this part of her life constantly dragging her down. Exhausted of the countless guards that had been sent to bring her back. She sighed and put her palms over her eyes, willing Tannis to just disappear and leave Liogoo and Avrid to their mission.

"Why did you leave?" Tannis murmured.

Liogoo sighed. It was best to tell him what he didn't want to hear. "The life that was planned for me was not going to work. I would be miserable. I had nothing there that needed me and although the crown needs me now I cannot go. I am a Graduate in Radox. I am a Kohuru."

"You had me." He said quietly. "We were together when you left, do you not remember? Do you feel no remorse for abandoning what we had?" Hurt flashed in his eyes and guilt ate at Liogoo's heart.

"It was not enough." She pretended to admit.

Liogoo was aware of the pain she caused Tannis by simply dismissing what they were but if he hated her then why would he drag her back? She needed Tannis to hate her, to forget her and then perhaps her responsibilities would follow. Fury replaced his pain and Tannis tensed his jaw.

He spoke bitterly "And he is? Gúigráìn, is he your man now?"

Liogoo contemplated lying and saying yes and she nearly smiled simply at the idea of it, but thought better of it. There was no doubt Avrid could hear everything they said.

"No. Merely a friend." Liogoo avoided his sour stare.

"The sun is going down and the waters are too cold to travel, I will stay with you if you allow it until the sun rises again." He spoke coldly but Liogoo ignored her guilt and cleared her throat.

"I think it's best you leave the way you came. I can cast a temporary Rune to keep you warm until you reach home."

"You can do Essence Magic?"

"Of course. Every Kohuru can."

He nodded knowingly. Liogoo understood why he had asked. The Sirens hated Essence Magic and instead were like the Elven folk; they believed in summoning power from nature. At first Liogoo had been the same and vowed that she would choose to not study it when the time came, but she grew to love it. To love the power tapping into her Essence gave.

"I won't leave without you. If that means to follow whatever murderous path you seem to have chosen, then so be it. I have promised my queen to bring you back and I will not break that promise."

"You hardly think you can come with me? With Avrid?"

"I will not hide my… _aversion_ to your choice in mates, but I believe I can follow you and while I do, possibly save your soul from the black path you have chosen."

Liogoo rolled her eyes. Some thought the Kohuru were cruel and murderous. People without souls and mercy and killed because they could. Those people would never be able to see the Radox for what it was.

"He is not my mate and he will not allow you to come to Midgard. Not only do you have no idea how to realm travel, but this is Radox business and has nothing to do with the Sirens"

Tannis put his hands behind his back and shrugged, "then I shall request to speak to the Radox and when they tell me that I have no business coming along then I will stay away, but as you said, you are a Graduate. From my knowledge, and correct me if I'm wrong, but a Graduate has only just passed Initiation?"

Liogoo pursed her lips. She wondered how he even knew so much about Radox in the first place but he was indeed right. Liogoo had no authority to make Tannis leave and if she was caught to have ignored the Siren Queen because she simply didn't want to deal with it, Liogoo would end up in big shit with the Elders. But then again, Avrid was an Elder. If he ignored Tannis, then so could she.

"Yes, unfortunately your right. I can't make you do anything, but Avrid can." She smiled at Tannis' confused stare.

"Avrid?"

"Oh yes" she feigned innocence. "Avrid is an Elder and correct me if I'm wrong. His word, I think if I'm getting my facts right, is indeed law. At least when I'm concerned. And know that I say this with regret, but he has specifically requested that I go with him on this mission; after all I am his partner Kohuru." Liogoo smirked at her lie. Tannis didn't have to know Avrid had barely let her come along.

"What is wrong?" Avrid's voice from behind her startled Liogoo and she cursed his ability to make his footsteps silent.

"Nothing. I was about to send Tannis on his way and then we can go again. We aren't very far from The Edge are we?"

Avrid shook his head, "No not at all."

Tannis took this as his sign to leave and began walking to the sea.

"Tell me this, Siren. Will you stay away?" Avrid called to him.

Tannis turned to look at Avrid. He stared at him for a while, then answered.

"Never." He declared.

"Well then, you can come with us, Toothless and I are invested to hear how you will convince Liogoo to go with you." He said casually and then hopped on Toothless.

"We go now and make it to The Edge before night. Cast a rune on him Liogoo and let's not waste any more time."

Liogoo was cast utterly dumbstruck but before she could say a word he took off into the sky and slowly continued on. She looked to Tannis who looked equally confused. Liogoo all but stomped over to Tannis and glared at him in anger.

"Give me your arm." She barked.

"Liogoo, I-"

"Give me your arm." She interrupted fiercely. Complying, Tannis held out his arm and watched in mixed disgust and wonder as Liogoo began chanting foreign words. As she did so, a pale purple substance stemmed from her palms and began circling around his wrist. When she was finished Tannis could already feel the cold wind turning warm. Liogoo glared at him angrily, then continued to stomp into the waters casting the same rune on herself seconds before she hit the water.

Following her quietly Tannis changed silently and continued to follow Liogoo through the now warm waters. Although Tannis was curious and, even though he would never admit it, slightly excited, he expected this 'mission' of theirs to be a swim in the corals. However he did not expect what was to come.

...oOo…

Astrid awoke to soft sheets and the morning light trickling in through an uncovered window. Shedding herself of the remaining glimpses of sleep, her eyes stayed shut as she soaked in the warmth of the covers before blue eyes opened to the glow of the sun's rays. For a blissful moment Astrid enjoyed the empty silence. The sound of absolute peace, but then a door opened and reality plummeted back unforgivably.

"You must get up, sleeping beauty." Came a familiar voice.

Astrid's heart stopped dead. She flung herself up and whipped her head over the back of the sofa.

"Heather?" Her voice came out in a shocked whisper.

Astrid had to blink a few times just to make sure she wasn't still asleep, but sure enough, no more than a few strides away stood the only person Astrid would be happy to see in this cruel place.

Heather. Although the girl was more of a nuisance than an actual person, Heather had been there for Astrid as the two spent day after day in that damp dungeon. She had been the only source of decent human interaction Astrid had. There had been times though, Astrid had thought Heather was simply just a figment of her imagination. That some part of her subconscious deemed the lonely silence of a dungeon was too much to bear so she had conjured up a friend to talk to. Yet here she stood, Heather in all her agitating glory.

Heather set down a tray Astrid hadn't noticed she'd been holding and came over to Astrid. She reached out and pulled the soft blanket off the sofa and began to fold it.

"Drago has requested you join him for tonight's dinner, so it's time you had a bath."

"How are you here? Is this what happens after the _Hospitium_? Have you seen anyone else?" Astrid threw questions at her but Heather just ignored them and gestured to the bathroom.

"Bath. Now."

Sighing, Astrid scrunched her face at the girl and trudged over to the bathroom. She didn't know what Heather expected her to do in there as the bath was actually bone dry, but she suspected it was to just shut Astrid up.

As Heather did whatever she was doing, Astrid opened cupboards and drawers looking for something she might use as a weapon. Even though Astrid didn't want to harm Heather, if she was all that stood in her way of escape then Astrid would do what she needed to do.

There was a small cabinet under a wash bowl so she knelt and opened it. Inside there was a varied selection of combs and brushes that looked way too expensive for their purpose. Next to them were all sorts of coloured, different sized cork-screwed bottles. Curious, Astrid picked one up and popped off the cork, the smell that erupted was sensational. It was like someone had managed to trap the smell of wildflowers and summer rain all into a glass bottle. She pulled out another and another, bewildered at the different smells that overwhelmed her.

Setting each one back carefully, she ended up keeping the first bottle and set it on the surface above her, in the wash bowl. She rummaged about for a little while more but came up empty and ended up taking a wooden comb. It wasn't that much of a weapon but if she snapped some of the bristles off and got creative then it could do some damage.

Finished, Astrid stood and scanned around her. Apart from the cabinet she had just been in, everything else was more or less completely empty. At the base of the bath was a small box with a soft looking cushion on top, really it was just what Astrid would call a 'fancy seat'. Everything in the castle was fancy and rich, like Drago was somehow trying to impress people but the only people that seemed to live here were stolen villagers.

Astrid sighed and went to wait on the seat for Heather, still holding the glass bottle of smelling stuff in one hand and a comb in the other. In Berk no one really cared very much about what they smelled like, in fact men only took a bath every moon or so and women about once a week. When she thought about it, Astrid didn't even think she had ever used a brush; she knew what it was but had never used one.

Putting the handle of the comb between her teeth, Astrid popped the cork off the bottle again, closed her eyes and took a huge breath in, enjoying the sweet, bitter smell. She smiled and carefully put the lid on and set it on the floor. She waited for Heather and started tapping her fingers on her knee.

Not too long later, Heather walked in through the open door carrying the same tray she had before. Now, Astrid could see there was a line of precious jewels and diamonds lined up meticulously. Intrigued, she set the brush down, stood and went to lift a particularly beautiful diamond necklace to admire it but Heather slapped her hand away. Astrid frowned and crossed her arms in annoyance but Heather simply ignored Astrid and walked to the bath. She set the tray down at the seat Astrid had been sitting on.

Heather spotted the glass bottle Astrid had taken. She lifted it and looked closely at the small bit of paper that had been wrapped around the circumference of it. Astrid had thought it was only a decorative add on but Heather sememed to find it rather interesting.

"Mhmm, lavender and honey-rose" she smiled and looked to Astrid "good choice."

Heather then opened and emptied the entire container into the large empty tub. Astrid's heart sank and she ran to the cupboards and searched frantically for any sort of fabric. She threw open drawers and doors, frustrated she couldn't find a single piece of cloth. Heather watched in confusion as Astrid ripped a piece of fabric from the bottom of her gown and threw it into the tub.

"What are you doing?"

Astrid glared at Heather and snatched the bottle off her, trying carefully to drop the liquid back into its container. Unexplainable anger surged in Astrid as she meticulously made sure every drop went back.

"It's bath foam, you're meant to use it in the bath." Heather explained, confused at Astrid's anger. She pulled the cloth off Astrid with ease and emptied the contents back into the bath, again.

Astrid glowered at Heather who shook her head. "Don't be so stupid. You will use it for the bath and that's it. Now, take that gown off, the other maids will be here with warm water anytime now and stop being so childish."

Astrid felt like slapping the girl but the small voice in the back of her head knew it would just make Heather even more annoyed. So, instead she untied her garment from the back and let it slip down her bare skin. She welcomed the cold gust of wind to her flustered body

Sure enough, maids walked through the doors holding big buckets of steaming water and started dumping them into the tub. As soon as the water hit the bath foam its aroma filled every particle in the room. When the tub was filled one last maid walked in holding a square object that appeared to be wrapped in parchment paper. Heather saw it and frowned.

"Not in here! The steam will ruin the silk! Dear Gods, do I have to do everything myself?" She ushered the maid out the room and instructed her to leave it on the bed.

Astrid stood with her arms crossed over her chest, suddenly self conscious. Before, Astrid loved her body and with good right too, she had worked very hard to build and tone her body. Now, she was sure she looked no better than a skeleton, especially compared to some of the other girls that had walked in. Heather ordered Astrid to get in the tub and she gratefully obeyed.

The water was gloriously warm and Astrid inhaled the strong smell of the sweet aroma. She closed her eyes and let her body completely dissolve in bliss, or at least tried to, but Heather rolled up her sleeves and dumped an entire pitcher full of water over her head. Astrid gasped and rubbed the water out of her eyes.

"Gods! Heather, are you trying to drown me?!" She spluttered.

Heather eyed her and shrugged. "You're filthy."

Astrid was washed in the same rigorous manner and at one point she thought Heather was trying to actually scrub the skin right off her bones. When she seemed satisfied, Heather called to a maid who waited outside the door to bring a robe and began voicing orders. Soon, two maids walked in and began drying Astrid from head to toe with the most fluffy, soft white towels that could ever exist.

When she was completely dry and finally covered in a robe, Heather started fumbling through some circular containers, chose a random one and brought it over to Astrid. She opened it and inside was some sort of thick, creamy substance.

Heather scooped a large amount into the palm of her hand, but then she glanced up and down Astrid's body and put half of it back into the container. She pulled open Astrid's robe and started rubbing the cream all over her.

Astrid stood uncomfortably and prayed Heather would finish soon and leave her the Hela alone. When she did finish and put the container back, she just ended up with another similar, smaller container and did the same thing, but only applied the cream to Astrid's face and rubbed it in softly.

"Are you a maid now?" Astrid asked, trying to pass the time a little less uncomfortably.

"I was always a maid, I just… disagreed with something my brother said and he thought to teach me a lesson."

"Your brother threw you in the dungeon?"

Heather smiled bitterly "yes, well we often have very different opinions on a lot of things. In fact, you met my brother."

Astrid racked her brain and tried to think of a man that looked similar to Heather but couldn't think of anyone. Before she could ask, Heather clapped her hands together.

"There, soft as a newborn babe."

Astrid lifted her hand to her face and was pleasantly surprised at how smooth and soft her skin felt.

"Those creams do a marvellous job. Now, we still need to dry your hair and get you in your dress before dinner so hurry up." Heather closed and tied the robe again and led Astrid out to the bedroom.

She sat her down in front of the vanity mirror and began fumbling with Astrid's hair. About ten minutes later, Heather had managed to partly dry and pin back her hair into a flawless flower design. She also applied a dark powder on her eyelids. Heather smiled at her work and ushered Astrid to the middle of the room.

"Drago had this hand made for tonight, so no matter if you hate the dress you will wear it." Heather warned, handing the square parchment into Astrid's arms. She gave her one last look and then walked out and closed the door behind her.

Astrid was slightly alarmed at how light this supposed 'dress' felt and gulped as she began peeling back the paper.

She had some sort of an idea what dresses were supposed to look like, but what she had seen were puffy, flowing dresses. This was not one of those dresses. When she held it out her face went completely white. This was not a dress at all.

The fabric was a magnificent, shining, dark blue, silk that cascaded glowingly in the evening sun. It was beautiful in every way, If only it wasn't see-through. The entire dress wasn't completely see-through, but it made Astrid's heart thump at the thought of embarrassment she would feel from wearing such a horrendous, beautiful thing.

Deciding it would be best to at least try it on, Astrid set the dress down, stepped into it and pulled the fabric over her. The silk felt strangely smooth and velvety on her skin and despite apparently wearing a dress, Astrid still felt naked.

Taking a deep breath, she walked over the mirror beside the bed. The girl that looked back at Astrid was not her. It was a woman with flawless pale skin. On her eyelids Heather had apparently put a dark navy and gold powder, paint that brought out the stunning blue of the woman's almond eyes. Although, this did little to distract from the fabric on her body - or lack thereof.

The dress had thin, rope-like straps on the shoulders that came right down to the top of her breast, leaving the small crest to show. In the middle the dress opened up and was shaped like a V, leaving the front of her stomach and cleavage open until it came to a point just before her belly button. The bottom of the dress flowed thankfully fully to the floor.

The woman turned slightly to reveal the back which was completely open save for thin straps that held the dress together. It closed just at the bottom of her back and had it gone any lower her entire behind would have been on show for the world to see. If it wasn't for the fact the dress was skin tight, she would have thought it was too big. It took a minute for Astrid to comprehend that the woman was in fact her own reflection.

She wanted to rip the dress to pieces and burn it somewhere. She also wanted to frame the beauty of such a thing. The care and work that went into the small gold patterns was flawless and beautiful, scary and horrendous. Despite how graceful the dress made her, Astrid was still too skinny; too boney and fragile looking.

Heather appeared beside Astrid, her face a storm of different emotions, pity, amazement, pride, dread. Everything that mirrored Astrid's own feelings. In her hand Heather held a stunning pair of pearl earrings and a simple silver chain in the other. As she put them on, Astrid felt numb. She wanted to cry, throw something, hide in a hole somewhere and disappear all at the one time.

When Heather appeared with two high heel shoes Astrid thought she might die. She looked to Heather, begging her silently for this to be some sort of wind up. A cruel joke, but Heather simply bent down and slid Astrid's feet into both shoes. She hated how perfectly they fit and how comfortable they were despite the height of each heel.

Normally, Astrid was rather small and beside Heather she was a head smaller, but now she was almost a head taller than the other girl.

"You look beautiful."

"I look like a whore." Astrid replied bitterly.

Heather sighed and grimaced. "It's only for tonight."

"What is tonight? You said dinner, but no one can expect someone to dress like this for a simple dinner. What else is going on? What else haven't you told me Heather?" Astrid glared at her, demanding that this one time she answer a question.

Heather inhaled deeply. "Tonight you are a prize. Drago has men, chiefs, kings coming from all over the archipelago and further, to do what with I don't know, but you are the shining prize. You're what he will showcase like some magnificent beast he has managed to capture and the lions will salvate at your feet."

Astrid had no words. Was this her life now? Was she to become Drago's whore? Astrid didn't think she could survive such a fate, she knew she couldn't, wouldn't.

"Turn around." Heather instructed then started flicking what looked like water over Astrid and the dress. It left little splashes of liquid on her skin and left her smelling sweet.

"It's called perfume." She said to Astrid's unspoken question. "It's time to go, are you ready?"

"No."

Heather smiled lightly and put her arm around Astrid's and led her through to the front door. Outside, dressed in a smart, black, formal robe stood Paeton. When he saw her, Paeton's jaw visibly dropped.

"I trust you can take her to Drago without looking like that?" Heather pronounced with a stern stare.

Paeton turned all sorts of vibrant crimsons before he cleared his throat and nodded, muttering a 'sorry' under his breath. Leading the way Astrid walked on, trying and failing to not notice the other guards' faces as she walked by. Each one of them were dressed in similar robes to Paeton.

Heather watched Astrid's retreating form from where she stood and prayed to whatever Gods that cared to listen to take care of Astrid.

The door beside Heather opened and out strode Yrsa. As soon as the girl saw Heather she smiled and waved. Heather smiled and laughed as Yrsa did a small twirl, showing herself off. Yrsa was dressed in a simple gold dress that fit her perfectly and was nowhere near as revealing as Astrid was forced to wear.

The door across from Yrsa opened and Frode stepped out in a handsome gold robe that matched those of the guards but looked richer and divine against his dark tan skin. Frode caught Heather's eye and smiled at her to which she replied the gesture. Yrsa did another twirl for Frode to which he laughed and bowed.

"Why you look stunning, and seems we are matching." Yrsa giggled at the attention and then Bjorn came out of the last door. He wore the exact same gold glittering robe Frode wore and went over to join the other two.

"Gold seems to be the colour, I have to say I'm excited for tonight. There might even be some handsome gentleman worth looking at." He winked at Yrsa who rolled her eyes.

"If I find a decent looking man I'll be keeping him, so keep your hands off what'll be mine" Yrsa warned jokingly and then patted Frode's shoulder.

"And don't worry. Me and Bjorn will be on the lookout for a beautiful woman to whisk you off your feet." She smiled innocently. Frode rolled his eyes and held out his arm.

"We should be on then." Yrsa gladly accepted and held out her other arm to which Bjorn took.

Yrsa looked behind her and gestured to Heather. "Aren't you coming?"

Heather shook her head, "afraid I've not been invited."

"Nonsense. Straighten out your hair and pinch your cheeks. You'd look beautiful in rags so come on."

Heather was afraid Yrsa wouldn't take no for an answer so she giggled and followed behind the trio, but Bjorn let out a great laugh and pulled Heather beside him.

"At least until we get to the main doors." He offered with a wink.

'Oh if he wasn't gay' Heather thought. And off they went.

...oOo...

Well hello, so I have to say this chapter is one I quite like but I have had to chop it in half otherwise you would be reading for hours. Don't stress, this means Chapter 7 will be out a lot faster- hopefully.

Now, if you are confused a tad about the last section of the chapter where Yrsa, Frode and Bjorn have been introduced just know that all will be explained.

I have also come to the conclusion that 'Ragnarok is Coming' will be done in three parts. Call them arcs, books, parts whatever you fancy, but they will be separate. As in, separate 'stories', although tell me if this is a bad idea. This allows me the joy of having the story organised and I feel like it also gives better structure and one Hell of a cliffhanger. So, obviously this is Part one and I hope to have it finished before the end of the year.

Stay alert, follow the story and I hope you enjoyed. 

P.s. make sure to tell me what you think!


	8. Foreign Hands

**The second half of this chapter has two paragraphs that may be triggering to some readers who have suffered sexual assault, if you would like to skip past this just stop reading at the end of the countdown and begin at the number 4!**

Chapter 7-

'**Foreign Hands'**

* * *

**Ragnarok is coming…**

* * *

Avrid lay back-to-back on Toothless with one hand perched on his thigh and the other fiddling with the small silver ring he wore on his thumb. The dragon's wings were a lullaby accompanied with the wind's soft serenade. A melody of mediation. Avrid closed his eyes and breathed in a deep breath. If he listened carefully, he could hear the water rush and slice against the slick scales of Liogoo and Tannis. He could hear the deep, gruff of wind under large, strong wings and if he really listened he could hear the thump of his heart. How it beat slow but steady, with precise and automated thumps; like clockwork.

He let his mind fall free and trusted his brother completely as he fell deep into his own thoughts. Thoughts that were plagued with Midgard. He never questioned his own judgment, it would leave room for doubt, but he wondered if he had been rushed in his decision on Tannis. He was curious about the guard's intentions. Although he had said he wanted only for his princess to take up her responsibilities, it seemed something more was at play.

Liogoo and Avrid had a history together and in one of his worst moments Liogoo had accepted him when many did not. Since then, they fought in wars together. She had saved his life as many times as he did hers. She had proven to be able to hold her own ground against some of the best of fighters. Liogoo was a small constant in his hazy life and he knew that he took her loyalty and admiration for granted but it wasn't to be helped. Liogoo was already used to him brushing her off and doing so was best for her, but she was a stubborn fool. Avrid pushed her away and ignored her more often than not, but she refused to be discarded. It was frustrating to say the least, although Avrid secretly admired her for it. He did not, however, admire her newfound companion.

Tannis. He clearly held anger at Liogoo, as she did him and, although Avrid wanted nothing better than to stay out of their childish drama, he felt such feelings of hatred could prove to be quite a predicament. He knew Liogoo was as sharp as any Kohuru, but Tannis didn't have half the training she had, making him a liability. Of course Avrid knew he could have let Tannis carry on, there was no way he could have followed them to Midgard, but he saw something in the guard. A stubborn dedication, or maybe stupid devotion. Either way a surprising oddity.

Avrid knew Tannis would have tried to follow his pursuit and possibly ended up getting in the way so, bringing the Siren along wasn't a hard choice but if he was being honest, Avrid was curious about Tannis' plans to bring Liogoo back to Niflheim. He must have been aware of the many failed attempts of others to bring her back, especially the ones Avrid had a hand in, so what made Tannis different? Whatever it was, it was a story he would love to whiteness but that didn't mean it would be a pleasant one. Avrid had a feeling that neither Liogoo nor Tannis was going to play nice.

Avrid was Liogoo's superior and if he wanted, he could simply tell Liogoo to deal with Tannis, to go with him. She would have resented him for it but that was what he wanted anyway, was it not? For reasons he wasn't quite sure of, Avrid didn't favour the idea of dealing with Midgard by himself, Toothless was more than enough company, he was worth a hundred Liogoos, but he was also a dragon. In Midgard, the humans weren't exactly 'at peace' with the dragons that terrorised their villages and although Toothless would have no qualms with defending himself, it would draw unnecessary attention.

A low grumble broke his train of thought, "_We're here,_" Toothless gurgled.

Avrid opened his eyes and sure enough they were. Grunting, he lifted himself to a stand and rolled his neck. The sky had bargained its cool blue sky for warm oranges, pinks and yellows and over the uneven horizon was a glowing semi-circle. Avrid put two fingers in his mouth and blew out a shrill whistle. He put one foot out and let himself fall down with a graceful thud as he landed on the sea. Before the water could engulf him, Avrid forced the temperature to plummet in an instant; freezing each drop of water where his feet stood.

Hearing his call, Liogoo had surfaced above the water with Tannis in tow. Neither had spoken a word and Liogoo swore she would refuse to acknowledge his presence until he got the message that she did not want him here.

Avrid knelt on one knee and gestured to Tannis's bobbing head, "this is the Edge, the midpoint of this realm but I suppose you knew that if you travelled from Vanaheim to here."

Tannis' eyes flickered sheepishly around him and he gulped before shaking his head.

"Realm travel has been a problem for Siren's but we find ways around it."

"Yes, I am aware of your species's lack of knowledge, how did you get here?"

"I… managed to convince an old Dwarf to send me through."

Tannis reeked of guilt and Avrid rolled his eyes. "Convince?" He repeated.

"Blackmailed."

Avrid sighed.

"Tannis, you have decided to come with me meaning you are officially meddling in Radox business. My mission is to do whatever is necessary to get my job done. I can tell you're a smart man and apparently you know an alarming amount about Radox; a very classified order." Avrid narrowed his eyes at Tannis.

"So, you also know that when I say that my mission is to do whatever is necessary, I mean whatever. I will kill, murder, torture, frame whoever gets in my path. I will manipulate, deceive and betray to get what I need. If it hurts your conscience for blackmailing an old goat of a Dwarf, then I will send you back to where you came from. Do you understand? I will not bring a pussy with me."

Tannis cleared his throat and nodded, hoping to save his dignity by staying silent. A cocky smile was plastered on Liogoo's face and she looked up at Avrid.

"The Edge, will _you_ be taking us through?"

Avrid stood up again and glanced behind him at the fading sun, it was now or never.

"Liogoo, explain what Realm travel means," he schooled her.

Happy to show off, she cleared her throat and turned to Tannis; while he glared daggers at her.

"Realm travel: a dangerous and largely beneficial skill. I myself have not mastered such abilities as I am-"

"Only a Graduate in the Radox heiracrchy," Tannis interjected.

Liogoo smiled and nodded bitterly, "Yes."

"But Avrid has. When we go through we will see an exact representation of himself. The entirety of Avrid's mind. What we find in there and whatever dangers present themselves are real. If you die, while in there, you will die here. Understood?"

Tannis raised his eyebrows sarcastically. Satisfied, Liogoo pulled herself out of the water, using the hard surface Avrid had created as leverage and slid herself beside him. Her shimmering tail sparkled like a thousand suns in the late-day glow. Still staring at Tannis, Liogoo reached her hand towards Avrid, palm up.

Avrid ignored Liogoo's gloating and pulled out the small blade from the inside of his arm's armour. He glided the sharp end across her skin and when her greyish blood simmered at the surface he dipped the end of the blade in the liquid.

Tannis watched with both fascination and disgust. There was a reason Sirens knew little to none of essence magic. It was unnatural and dark. Tannis knew how to save a man with an arrow in his limbs but he used the earth around him. What nature provided and offered, not the blood of others. Although he was desperate to follow Liogoo and convince her to come back. So, when Liogoo gestured smugly at him, knowing how much he despised the idea, Tannis put his own palm to his teeth and ripped the skin open.

Avrid looked to Liogoo and smiled at her frustrated expression. He put the tip of the dagger on Tannis' palm and put the flat of the blade in both his own hands. Tannis grimaced in disgust.

"Close your eyes, when you open them you will each be on a tightrope, if you think about it too much you will fall. Trust your instincts to keep you steady, we go in and out, no questions."

Both Sirens nodded and all three closed their eyes. Avrid whispered something intelligible and with a breath of air the strange gathering of human, Dragon and Sirens disappeared from sight.

When he opened his eyes, Tannis indeed stood on a thin, wool like thread. It stretched so far into the distance it was impossible to see where it ended. It took a moment for him to gather enough balance for the thread to at least stop wobbling like a rowboat at sea.

"Put your arms out"

Liogoo stood straight as a statue, only the slight tremble in her feet indicated her struggle to not fall. Her long pale arms were stretched horizontally from her and when he copied the strange position, Tannis found it much easier to not fall. Looking down, he saw absolute darkness and what lay beneath he would rather prefer to be left unknown. On the other side of Liogoo, Avrid stood perfectly balanced.

Tannis rolled his eyes inwardly, 'of course the bastard had no trouble balancing on the thinnest rope ever'. Just as the thought crossed his mind, Avrid began walking with each foot twisted sideways without even the slightest hesitation. The rope barely rippled and he did not falter a single step; it was as if he was walking on flat ground.

Tannis felt horribly stupid with his arms held out and shaking like a nervous tennant without his keep.

"Can't you just think about _flat_ ground?" He murmured quietly.

"It's my mind's representation, I can hardly change my own thoughts."

The statement made no sense but Tannis was becoming frighteningly left behind. He straightened his posture and tried his best not to fall. Although she wasn't as graceful as Avrid, Liogoo was still doing far better than he was.

"What's with the glass?"

Around them, shaped like a sphere ball enclosing them all in, was glass. Beyond the glass was an almost blinding white light but what was most strange were the large menacing cracks. Some were huge and sliced right across the circumference but others were smaller and more frequent. Through each zigzagged split, shone a dark red light but it moved and changed, like the light beneath a door. It was as if something living was on the other side of the fractures but all that could be seen was a blank whiteness.

Avrid didn't answer and instead ushered Tannis to hurry. He cursed under his breath and carried on.

A few minutes later and in the distance could be seen a small stone platform in which the three ropes conjoined to a wooden pole. It seemed to be floating in midair and there was barely enough room for the three of them on it. Behind the platform was a raging sea, its white foam crashing against a seemingly invisible wall.

"What now?" Liogoo nodded her head at their predicament.

Avrid seemed unbothered by their worries and when he reached the end of his rope he stepped off and reaching down, began fumbling at the stone slab.

Tannis was getting frustrated. This made no sense and was way too confusing for him to even begin to make head or tail of what was happening. On top of that Avrid refused to answer or explain anything.

Suddenly, a loud boom exploded in his ears and everything shook madly. The quake threw Tannis off balance and he only barely caught the rope. His fingers slipping, Tannis swung himself up and clung for dear life.

Furious and terrified for his life, Tannis shouted, "What the Hela was that!?"

No one answered and Tannis put his head back and saw Liogoo and Avrid squished back-to-back and staring behind him, fear marred Liogoo's expression. Tannis fed up, crawled upside down the rest of the way to the platform before looking at what it could be.

He wished he hadn't though. At the top of the glass sphere another crack, bigger than any other, split across the entire sphere.

"Is that bad?" Tannis asked with horror in his voice.

Unsurprisingly, Avrid didn't answer and instead bent down again and ran his hand over the flat surface until he found a small rock. He picked it up and threw it at the invisible wall. He had expected the stone to hit some sort of barrier but it went straight through.

"Jump." Avrid said and without warning he leaped off and dove into the rushing water.

Tannis looked at Liogoo incredulously, there was no way she expected him to blindly leapfrog straight into certain death? As expected Liogoo followed Avrid, leaving Tannis still clutching the rope and upside down. As he dragged himself onto the platform another boom racketed, shaking everything. Tannis stood up and with a deep breath he closed his eyes.

"Onwards I guess." And he stepped off the platform.

...oOo…

Astrid's heels clicked like a symphony to the deeper clacks of Paetons own shoes as they walked through echoing corridors. Although Astrid hadn't exactly been around the castle she knew that it shouldn't be this quiet. When Stoick had had important clan leaders on visit, the entire island seemed bursting with noise and people. Drago's castle was almost silent. Every now and again a guard, dressed similarly to Paeton, minus a gold band around the cuff of his robe, would be stationed against a wall. Every single guard gawked at her as she walked past.

Paeton would thankfully give them a grim stare that would sort them out, but each one was the same, each man. It didn't take as long as she had thought it might, but finally Paeton came to a stop in front of the same pair of magnificent doors she had seen that first day. The two lions looked as impressive as the last time she had seen them.

Astrid stopped behind Paeton and he turned to face her. Behind him Astrid could hear the muffled jumble of voices, glasses clinking and laughter.

"When you go in there, you go in last and bow like this." He indicated by doing a small courteous bow that looked strange when he lifted his arms and crossed one foot over the other.

"Let me see, you cannot mess this up or Drago will make both you and me regret it."

Gulping, Astrid copied Paeton perfectly. He nodded and moved to stand in front of one of the doors, folding his arms behind him, another guard was on the other side. The sound of laughter echoed like a bell throughout the corridor and Astrid pivoted to look behind her.

Three people turned the corner and were walking down the corridor towards Astrid. There was a man at each end and in the middle was a beautiful woman. The man on the right was slender and came to the woman's shoulder. He had dark tanned skin and slicked, tidy black hair.

The woman in the middle was tall, tanned and brunette. She had a small delicate face and slender, upturned eyes. Her rich, dark brown hair, adorned with delicate white flowers, flowed to her waist. The perfect woman. Despite the gem studded dress she wore, Astrid felt absolutely insignificant compared to such a specimen. Her only downfall was her eyes, they were completely white as if the colour had been removed completely, to curse her with a blank white emptiness. She was blind.

On the woman's left was a great burl of a man the size of the great oak trees from Berk. He was handsome and looked cheery with his plush cheeks and merry grin. All three of them had smiles plastered on their faces and a gold shimmering attire. They looked like Gods.

Astrid felt very out of place as they strode confidently down the corridor. She thought, perhaps they were Drago's children? Ones he had fathered purely for the sake of having an heir? Although she found it hard to fathom such a cruel and grim man like Drago could ever have children of such beauty and grace. Whoever they were, they knew where they were going and what they were doing; not prisoners as Astrid was.

The muscled man looked over Astrid's shoulder and waved. "Paeton, such beauty! I did not know such handsome features were being kept prisoner underneath all the facial hair and horrible grey armour."

Paeton smiled and blushed slightly. "You three" he looked at them all intensely "you give me any grief this evening and I'll bury you myself. I do not want a repeat of last summer."

Yrsa put a hand to her mouth and giggled girlishly.

'Great' Astrid thought, 'she even laughs perfectly'.

The skinnier man put a hand to his forehead and feigned a salute and Paeton shook his head in defeat. The three of them finally reached Astrid and Yrsa's head turned to her. A strange chill spread through her, it felt as if Yrsa could see her despite her being very clearly blind.

"Who is this woman? One of the dancers? Be off with you, stupid girl you'll be lynched if your caught out of place." She frowned at Astrid.

Paeton cleared his throat, "She is Drago's and will enter after you. Take you places."

All three expressions did a one-eighty and their frustration turned to pity and wonder.

"You're Drago's?" The women whispered before the man on her left pulled her away to stand in front of Astrid.

They moved to stand in front of Astrid. Paeton looked at each of them until all four nodded they were ready, although Astrid wasn't sure what there was to be ready for.

It was hard to see past the giant frame of the man and taller one of the women but Astrid saw Paeton nod to the other guard and with white gloved fists, they both knocked the giant doors twice. The sound seemed to reverberate throughout the entire castle and all other noise ceased. Astrid's heart felt as if there was a mad hummingbird trapped in her chest, she focused on her breath and swallowed past the lump in her throat.

Slowly, the doors groaned open and candlelight flooded the hall. When the opening of soft music began playing both men straightened themselves, walked beside each other and then out of Astrid's sight. The music began to pick up its pace and the woman shook out her hair before strutting into the room, swinging her hips as she did. Astrid wondered how the woman knew where to go.

Paeton eyed Astrid signalling her not to move just yet. When the women stopped she bowed and turned to her left.

Suddenly the music hit a crescendo, booming through Astrid's ears and echoing sharply off the hard floor and walls. Finally, Paeton nodded to her. Breathing in deeply, Astrid put one foot in front of the other and begged Thor or even Freyja to keep her steady and not trip over herself.

At the other side of the doors was a small balcony that opened up onto the same magnificent garden where Astrid had first met Drago. The entire garden was rife with beauty and from up high Astrid could see how perfect it was. It was late evening and the sun hung low on the horizon giving a beautiful pinkish glow to the sky. The garden was a large circle and surrounding its circumference were perfectly trimmed rose bushes of the most vibrant pinks, whites, reds, oranges and every other colour imaginable.

A single table had been erected where those same beautiful flowers that lived in the garden, were sown into the very cloth that covered the table. An organised group of men stood in the back of the garden. They held Pan Flutes and Horn Pipes, Lyers and Lurs and the ballads they sang were the most stunning thing Astrid had ever heard.

In front of those men was a flowing water fountain, it's constant falling water was a symphony that matched perfectly to the notes being played. It should have been beautiful, but all Astrid saw was layers upon layers of obstacles, things and people in her way from escape.

Dozens of people, dressed in the most eloquent looking clothes, also happened to be starting up at Astrid. Men and women alike, watching her expectantly. She reminded herself to breathe and as Paeton had instructed she bowed, crossing her feet and raising her arms slightly. She turned to the left as the woman had, where a marble staircase had been constructed. Only one thought went through Astrid's head.

Marble was slippy.

Marble was very slippy.

Heels were very unpredictable.

Astrid put her shaking hand on the smooth banister and held on for dear life before she dared take another step. Her entire body tensed and she stared at the floor, scanning it in case of any flaw in the groundwork she might fall victim to, a crack or something to trip over. When the end of this cruel torture was near, she looked up and standing at the bottom of the stairs, an arm held out towards her and a horrible smile on his face, was non other than Drago himself.

Astrid hated the idea of touching the vile man but she had no choice. She composed any feelings of disgust or fear and mastered them into a weak grin. She lifted out a hand and placed it on his open arm. The last thing she wanted to do was spend a single minute in Drago's company and certainly not wearing a dress he had picked out for her. As she had expected, his eyes looked hungrily at every inch of her.

Drago had also adorned the same black robes as every other man in the castle although they did little to make him more presentable. He was too large and scruffy, his face too wild and menacing to be called anything near handsome.

"You look just ravishing, my dear." He said as he pulled her into a small clearing surrounded by people who were moving to the music.

Those who had begun to dance stopped when Drago passed and bowed. It was clear Drago was a respected man, one of power and influence but Astrid was stumped. She had never heard nor seen any mention of his name in any of the books she read of the clans. It crossed her mind he could have married into power but where was his wife? Was he a son of a powerful chief and if so, why had such a family never been mentioned? Whatever his business was it had little to do with her. Why he felt the need to parade her around left her clueless. She was told to obey and win Drago's favour, but to what cause?

"What do you want with me?" Astrid asked for what felt like the millionth time.

Drago lifted a large tankard from a young man carrying a tray of ale, and took a long swig. The golden liquid fell from his mouth and onto his bushy beard, the drops sticking to it disturbingly. He gulped loudly before wiping a beefy hand across his mouth and pulling Astrid tightly close to him. She had no choice but to fall prey to his every whim. The putrid smell from his breath would put any Viking to shame, it took all Astrid had not to crinkle her nose.

Drago began moving side to side, pulling Astrid with him in what could hardly be called a dance. She felt completely violated by just the mere look of him and fought him subtly at every chance she got. Pulling away from him here and there.

"I believe I have already told you the answer to that, you are the immune to immunes. I would like to figure out why."

"But what does that mean?"

**3**

"My dear Astrid, this is not dinner talk, keep that beautiful mouth shut and let me have a pleasant dance with you."

"Pleasant!?" Astrid pulled her hand from Drago's and stepped back, anger pulsed through her. He wanted her to obey, wanted her to play his little game but she wouldn't do it.

**2**

"Nothing about this is _pleasant! _You-"

Astrid yelped in pain as Drago grabbed her arm violently and forced her back into the dance.

**1**

"I have been very tolerant of you and your arrogance, but no more."

Drago leant forward and whispered in her ear, "you want to know what I really want with you? I want to strip you down and use your body. I want to take you over and over again until your nothing but a weeping mess of flesh. I want you to scream and beg for me to stop, but I won't."

Drago trailed a finger down the side of her face, "And when I am finished with you, and your body is broken. When you flinch at my very name and cower at the idea of me, then I will have broken your soul. I will have won against Hiccup Haddock."

**4**

The name made her forget Drago's confession for a moment. Hiccup, she thought he was dead. Did he end up here? Was this where he went? She wanted to ask the questions that would finally give her answers to Hiccup, but she couldn't speak.

Drago went on, "then, I will return you to Dagur. He has expressed how you are rightfully his."

She couldn't breath. This couldn't be her fate. No man in this world could be so cruel, so heartless. Astrid pulled away and was proved wrong by the wicked glint in his eyes. She knew then she was looking into pure evil, the very incarnation of the word. He wasn't to pretend and be anything other than what he was. He enjoyed the fear and the quiver in her bones and helpless, silent begging in her eyes. Whatever Hiccup had done to anger Drago, Astrid knew she was there to pay for his sins; or was it the other way around? Did Hiccup hold resentment at her for not going with him that day, so long ago, and now Drago was here to avenge him?

She knew Drago would do as he said, knew she would become a toy for him to play and do what he wanted with. He would break her. He would try but he had picked the wrong girl. Astrid Hofferson was a Viking. She wasn't going to live in this kind of a life. She wasn't going to lie down and surrender. Tonight she would endure, for the sake of her own pride, but Drago would never be able to do what he wanted with her, she would make sure of it.

When the music finally ended, Drago held out a hand to Astrid. She smiled, took his hand and let him lead her to the round table. As soon as they sat down she let go and finally took a moment to breathe properly. Drago sat at the head with her at his right and soon other people began to fill the seats until there was no one standing.

On her right, the same two men that Astrid had met in the corridor, the tall tanned man and large jolly one, bowed at Drago before taking seats beside her; It was the tallest one that sat in the seat next to her. The blind women however, came up on Drago's left and sat down without any hassle. Astrid was starting to think that maybe the women weren't blind at all. Chatter began as people began talking to each other.

"My name is Frode."

The tall man beside her held out his hand and smiled sweetly. Astrid had absolutely no idea what he wanted her to do with his hand but she put out her own and copied him. The man chuckled and reached out to her other hand and shook it up and down before letting go again. Astrid sat confused but she didn't question the gesture.

"Astrid" she replied.

Frode gestured to the tree like man beside him, "this is Bjorn." Although Bjorn was engaged in conversation with another person beside him and didn't hear Frode. Astrid nodded and looked away. If Frode was who she thought he was, then Astrid didn't want anything to do with him.

The other people who sat around the table were some of the strangest people she had ever seen in her life. Some spoke in tongues she couldn't even begin to understand. Some were dressed in nothing but leaves and sticks to cover their chests and bottom half. Others were completely covered in jewels and finery that looked like it weighed a ton. And then there was Dagur.

A few down from the blind women, staring at Astrid, was none other than the evil bastard himself. He noticed her eyes on him and winked. It took all the self control she had not to flip him off right there but she supposed Drago wouldn't take too kindly to such a rude gesture at his dinner.

"Do you know Dagur?" Frode asked, sensing her obvious mood as soon as she lay eyes on him.

Astrid ignored him and looked down at the silver platter and shining assortment of utensils she had absolutely no idea what to do with.

"I agree. This is a lot of finery only to be used for food." Frode went on.

"What do you want?"

"Ahh, so she does have a voice. I was beginning to think you didn't speak Danish."

Astrid rolled her eyes, "what do you want?"

"I want to know you. You should know by now that you're an Immune and we stick together. Me Bjorn, Yrsa and now you."

Astrid furrowed her brows, "What is an immune? I've heard it so many times but what does it mean?"

"It's very complicated to explain," he shook his head, " but think of it as a gift and a curse. Sometime I will explain fully, just not now."

Astrid sighed, "sure."

Frode looked at Astrid sadly. Suddenly, he stood up amongst the entire crowd, walked over and whispered to Drago. Drago looked over at Astrid and after a moment of silence he waved and continued his conversation with the other men around the table.

Frode smiled and held out his hand to Astrid, "Would you like to go for a refreshing walk?"

Confused, Astrid took his hand and he looped it over his arm before leading her away. They walked towards the fountain and past the band of singing men to the rose bushes. Fear began creeping up Astrid's spine and she cursed herself for being so foolish but Frode simply put his hand through the bush. It opened easily as if the branches were used to being pulled sideways and Frode stepped through. She could see now that she looked properly, that this part was bent compared to the rest of the bush. Astrid followed him, curious as to where he might be taking her.

When she stepped through a gasp escaped her lips. In front of her was the sea, but before it, land and on that land, was a Nightfury. She would never forget the first time Astrid had ever seen one, it was Hiccup's and he was the most magnificent dragon she had ever laid eyes on. Before her now, sleeping, lay a Nightfury.

"Is that…"

"No. It's only a wooden statue."

Astrid's heart dropped but she couldn't tear her eyes from it. It looked so real, so detailed and so much like Hiccup's dragon.

"Why?" Was the only question she could think of.

Frode led Astrid to the statue and sat down, pulling her with him. He stared at her for a while until she looked back. He smiled that same sad smile.

"When I was a babe, my mother used to tell me all kinds of stories; she was fond of them. She used to tell me this one story, a magnificent tale of a man and the dragon he tamed. The dragon was a Nightfury and the man was a simple human, but when he tamed the Nightfury he became known across the whole of the Archipelago." Frode paused, took his long golden cloak off and put it over Astrid. She looked at him gratefully, he couldn't know how much she appreciated it.

He went on, "Such fame got to the man's head and he reaped the kind people, who looked up to him, for all they would give. He was a selfish man. Soon, the man stole away the heart of a fair maiden, a princess at that. He didn't love her but all the less he led her on because he enjoyed her obsession with him."

"When the maiden would ask if the man would ever propose to her, he would smile and say, 'some day, my bonnie lass'. The day came when the man proposed to the maiden and of course she said yes but because the man still did not love the girl he left her. He left on his Nightfury and never came home. Little did he know that the maiden was with child and as she wept the loss of her love she became ill. The babe died and the maiden became so sad, she didn't want to live or love anymore or ever again. The mother threw herself from a cliff the night before she was to be married."

Astrid tilted her head quizzically, "I thought you said this was a good story?"

"I said it was a magnificent tale. It's sad but it's reality. It shows the power of love and hate and sadness. It's beautiful is it not?"

He looked at the sea, it's wind disturbed the ends of his hair, "how we can feel so much. Human emotions. You can have joy, hope, awe, desire. All the good ones, but what would you be if you didn't feel hurt, or pain, or despair? You can't have the good without the bad. There is no light without darkness. No need for hope before despair. The trick, the real skill is to balance them, so the bad doesn't seem so terrible, and you can truly appreciate the good."

Frode went silent for a while, both staring out at the sea.

"What happened? To the mother?" Astrid said after some time.

"The man came back. He had forgotten all about her and moved on. He died alone with not a soul but his dragon."

Astrid closed her eyes and let herself feel the wind on her face.

"Selfishness was the man's downfall. It was meant to be a story to teach kindness and love but I see something else, do you Astrid?"

He turned to face her but she had fallen asleep. With her chin perched on her hand her eyes fluttered and her breath became even. Frode smiled and brushed away a stray hair.

"You'll suffer here, Astrid. You will suffer more pain than you think you can bear, but soon you'll see. We all must be a little selfish to survive but then we must find love and let them fix our broken hearts." He whispered.

...oOo...

This chapter taps on some of the most horrible experiences some people face and I want everyone to know that the purpose of including such acts in the story is not in anyway to make it more exciting, dramatic or anything like that. I did think very hard on my decision to include it and I assure you readers it is not intended to offend anyone but simply because I want to use my story as an educational purpose. As a trained student in phycology, I simply wish to help and do my part to remove the stigma and stereotypes from all sorts of mental health issues as well as well as acts that seriously affect people and their wellbeing. That being said, if a reader tells me that they are uncomfortable with the way I have written or described these issues do not hesitate to pm me and I can do my best to sort it out. I would like to point out that the rating on this story is mature so if you are under the age of 18, do not continue reading please.

If anyone is suffering NEVER hesitate to tell someone your pain, and if you can't tell family or friends then tell a stranger and let them help. Below is a list of some platforms that have trained specialists to help anyone,

-Anxiety UK. A charity providing support if you have been diagnosed with an anxiety condition. Phone: 03444775774 Website: .

-Mental Health Foundation. Provides help for anyone with mental health problems. Website: .

-RAINN. The nations largest anti-sex hotline, free and confidential. Call: 800. (4673)

My pm is always open as well.

...

Other than this, I have to say I am quite proud of the last part of this chapter, not to toot my own horn or anything. Also, I have a bone to pick. Shirzadym, where'd you go! I miss your intricate criticism!

Also, what do yous think of the new cover image? I made it myself, i know, i know i'm very talented you don't have to tell me- actually you can if you want. Vey proud. Of ma'self. Oh! I almost forgot, from now on I have decided to dedicate the name of every chapter to a song that I feel represents either the mood of the chapter or the actual chapter itself. This one is Foreign hands by... George something... Anyway, I ask you to listen to the song and then read the chapter or the other way about. I just think it puts you in a nice mood.

Until next time, Crystal.


	9. Monster

Chapter 8

'**Monster' **

* * *

**Ragnarok is coming...**

* * *

Avrid felt it the moment he landed. It was like something had reached into his very soul and ripped out the raging sea of power and magic inside him. Like they had reached a thieving hand into his body and stole the beating essence that lived in every pore and inch of himself.

A furious roar tore through him as he staggered. That living, breathing thing in his chest was gone, the bubbling cauldron of magic simmering to complete nothingness. He closed his eyes and steadied on feet that were too heavy, a body too slow and a heart too fast. He hadn't been without magic in years, had not felt so empty and dull in decades, it was infuriating to say the least. Liogoo appeared a few seconds after him and her expression was one of shock and dread.

They had left the shuddering mid-point between and re-emerged on a small flat piece of land. It was mostly clear of any vegetation or sign of life, bar a small gathering of trees, their tops bloated with snow to the left. The ground had been drowned in crispy, white snow and only Avrid's careful steps kept him sinking foot-deep. Liogoo, however, swore blindly as the whipping wind tore at the thin fabric she wore and moisture, cold and cruel soaked her through. She crossed her arms and tucked them in, trying to keep whatever heat she could gather.

Avrid looked up to the grey sky to see Toothless circling them, to another he was only a crow hovering in the air. But Toothless' keen eyes kept out eye and ear in case of danger.

"Do you feel that?" Liogoo said through chattering teeth.

Avrid only nodded. He scanned around them searching and taking in his surroundings but as far as the eye could see, human eye, for that was what he was now- albeit less human than those in Midgard- in a realm with no allowance for magic. If he was correct, then they had landed in the northernmost part of the Archipelago. And in mid winter at that. A brutal time of the year, even for the most seasoned of occupants.

"How is it possible? For it to be… gone. Just like that. Is there someone or something that's responsible?

"Something like that. My last time in Midgard it was the same, there is no magic in this realm. It's like a dampener or ignorance of anything of the sort. I believe there is something that blocks magic from taking shape, it could have something to do with what we are here to investigate."

"And you didn't think to mention that before we got here? It might have been a tad bit useful."

He shrugged. "I had thought the lack of magic was only mine, I hadn't considered it might affect others."

Liogoo huffed and threw her hands in the air. "So we will be completely useless?"

Amusement danced in the corner of his lips. "Think of it as a training exercise, see how dependent you have become on your essence."

"I have not become _dependent_." Liogoo stuck out her tongue at him.

Tannis then appeared, swaying on his feet till he fell with a soft thud and sank a dent in the pristine blanket of snow. His face was as white as the flurry and he put a hand to his mouth, trying with all his might not to vomit.

"Never again."

Liogoo rolled her eyes but walked over to the guard and pulled him up by the arm. He stood on his feet, swaying slightly. "Then next time, maybe you should just-"

"Liogoo," Avrid warned.

She flashed her sharp teeth but held back whatever she was about to say. Toothless then descended beside Avrid and tucked his wings in, shaking off the mist of the clouds.

"_There is an island not too far from here. A trading port by the look of the ships." _

"Then we start from there."

Avrid addressed Liogoo then, "Midgard is a very foreign realm, what have you been taught of it so far?"

"Nothing much really. I know that it's occupied by humans although they are oblivious to much of everything, stupid creatures really. Humans aren't born with any possession of Essence although, some have tail ends of something such as oracles, some healers or worship the Aesir as Gods and most humans are pretty much useless at anything."

Avrid made a distasteful face. "That may be said for humans but here, in the Archipelago, you will be facing Vikings. They are ruthless, bloodthirsty and raving mad. It is true they have simple minds, but do not make the mistake in thinking that they are dullards."

Liogoo went red at the scolding, but nodded.

Tannis glanced between the two, his mind whirring. "Avrid, you are human are you not?"

Avrid looked at Tannis, looked at him from head to toe. He seemed to be measuring him up, not his appearance but what felt like his soul, who and what Tannis was. He shifted uncomfortably under the scrutiny and when Avrid finally laid those lightening green eyes on his own blue ones, he said simply, "No."

He wanted to ask then what, if not human then what, for he had been told Avrid had hailed from Midgard. Sure enough he looked human, he had no markings for Elf, no pointy ears or that sharp delicate beauty. He wasn't unusually short with a wicked temper like the Dwarves. He held none of that stuck-up, high horse bullcrap the Aesir gave off. His skin was tanned but not the dark colour of Vanir who always had a sense of propriety. And he was certainly not Siren; so what. It was clear there was _something _about him. The way he would walk with such utter stillness and that constant hum of energy that just glowed like a million stars gave him an alien sense. It gave Tannis the chills if he stared too long at those emerald eyes. It made him want to climb through the realms to escape the otherworldly sense of his gaze. He wanted to ask, although the cold way in which Avrid had dismissed him made Tannis refrain.

"Liogoo, these waters are too cold for either of you, so you will have to ride on Toothless. There is a trading port named Forklong just a few miles from here, so we will work from there."

Avrid and Toothless looked to each other, silently conversing. Avrid shook his head and then the ghost of a smile tugged at the corners of his mouth. Liogoo hated when they did that, when any true blood did; it was like always missing the punchline to an inside joke.

He nodded to the black dragon at some unknown question and Avrid lifted his chin to the two Sirens, inclining them not to waste time. Liogoo didn't hesitate and gladly trudged over, already imagining the warm body heat that would be on offer, although Tannis was more hesitant. He had not been brought up to hate or fear the beasts and he had encountered them before but this was a _Nightfury, _Avrid Guigrain's dragon. The myths and legends of Nightfurys were ones he had studied and come to fear, never mind the one that stood in front of him now. It might be tame enough, but with half a thought, he knew, it could crush or eat him in seconds and he would be powerless against it.

But he didn't want to give Liogoo yet another reason to mock him, so he gulped past any fear and closed his fists to stop them from shaking. It was an effort to climb up such a large beast especially with the slickness of its black scales and Tannis' own shaking hands. Any movement it made; even so much as breathing, had him jumping out of his skin. Eventually, Toothless had huffed -huffed, like he was frustrated. He lay down on his belly and shoved him up with the arch of his wing. Tannis didn't dare look at Liogoo, an expression of hilarious amusement surely plastered on her face, but awkwardly slid himself in place behind her.

It was unnatural and strange to have such a thick, muscled back under his thighs. It was different from the water mares or sea horses in Vanaheim. His legs did not fit comfortably over the sides, but rather spread them way too far for comfort. Not only could he feel every inhale and exhale of the beast's breath, but he swore he could feel the slight bump of its heart through his heels. Tannis then made the mistake of looking down. They hadn't even taken off yet but the sheer size of the dragon made them at least fifteen feet off the ground, he suddenly felt very queasy again.

Avrid had been watching Tannis with an unreadable expression, his arms folded. He walked over to the neck of Toothless and put a hand on the top, pushed down and pulled himself atop Toothless's neck, then stood. He walked around Tannis, as if dandering the length of a dragon was second nature and stood at the bottom of Toothless' spine.

"Liogoo, show me how far you've gotten in your studies of Dragon Riding," Avrid said, ever keeping her on her toes.

She nodded and shuffled up on his neck, the heels of her feet found purchase on the underside of his chest and in between the dimples there. With no reign she had to gently nudge her foot to motion for take off, but Toothless got the message.

There was not enough time in the world for Tannis to prepare for the speed at which they took off. They bolted into the sky, wind slicing his face painfully. He barely had the sense to wrap his hands around the dragon's back and cling for dear life for the second time in the last hour; he had a feeling he would be on death's door quite often in such company.

Avrid stood with ease, only his legs moved from crouching to standing in time with the beating of Toothless' wings. When they were in the air and sailing just below the clouds, he walked back up to Liogoo and stood behind her.

"Temperature affects what?" he questioned her.

"The speed of the dragon, especially smaller ones who are unable to sustain cold or heated temperatures for too long. Also the air pressure: it can affect the direction in which the underarch of the wing will angle to catch free breezes or overcast winds."

Avrid didn't give her praise and instead pointed to their right. "In the distance is Forklong Port, we land there. Try to approach a less crowded area, there's no reason to give anyone too much a fright." That same wicked amusement danced in his eyes, as if seeing an island full of people have a heart attack was exactly what he wanted.

As they neared the island, invisible between white clouds, Liogoo circled its port. There were rows upon rows of long wooden ships; they were the strangest vessels she had ever seen. The keelson stretched twice as long as normal ships making the entire deck narrower and on one level. Round, thick shields plated with metal nails bordered the fringe on each side and smack in the middle of the deck were huge trunk sized poles. Tied to them were masts of varying colours that gulped the wind like huge spoons. It made little sense to Liogoo, to have wood anything in a realm where dragons were the main predators, beside their own bickering wars.

Dozens of people milled about the docks and a little farther inland a market had been set up. Avrid pointed a scar freckled hand to a small clearing jutting out from the cliff face of the island. It was hard to make out the finer details, but it seemed that it would be safe enough to land where Avrid had pointed.

Liogoo put her heel flat on her right side and, as Toothless had been trained, he banked left. She managed to land them without any difficulty, keeping to the trees to avoid being seen.

When they landed Avrid stepped off, his feet sending up a silent billow of snow. He stood in front of Toothless and thoughtlessly scratched under the dragon's maw, eyes flicking here and there, looking around them.

"Check the island and see how far we are from any clans. For now this will have to do." He nodded his head towards the port.

"Stay in the air and don't get seen." Toothless snorted at that, the sound more like a growl.

"_Don't give me orders."_

Avrid smirked. His brother was ever his equal and always a fresh breath from those who followed his every word.

"I'll see you tonight." Avrid patted him on the side and looked to Liogoo.

She raised her eyebrows. "What?"

"Get your messy ex off my dragon."

She looked over to Tannis and sighed in frustration. He still clung to Toothless, his face pressed to black scales and his whole body trembling, Liogoo wasn't sure he could move. Toothless however, had other ideas. The dragon turned his large head, pulled the thing that was stuck to him off, and dropped it. Tannis shook himself, took one look at the menacing dragon whose expression seemed to growl annoyance and hurried over to the retreating forms of Avrid and Liogoo who had started heading inland. Toothless took off without a second glance.

"Is everything going to be miserably cold?" Tannis rubbed his hands together and puffed hot air on his palms. Nobody answered as he trailed behind them. He huffed and pocketed his hands in his long robe. The clothes happened to appear as he arrived in the realm as well as his human form. He didn't want to know how Avrid managed to do such a thing.

It didn't take very long for them to reach the bustling village. Everywhere the eye could see there were stalls erected, some huge with tables upon tables of overflowing fresh fruits and vegetables and others holding glittering precious items. But what was most surprising to Liogoo, was the number of humans bustling here and there.

Humans. They weren't much to look at. In fact, they all looked very much alike. Small, spindly things, delicate enough she reckoned it wouldn't take much effort to snap their bones. The males were hard worn, some with scars on their light skin or limbs missing and replaced by wood or metal. Every single one of them carried some form of weapon, an axe was the most common or maces and heavy, thick hammers, no swords. The females all wore the same drab clothing that gave them no shape or compliment. Dull shades of winter's browns, greys and an icky blue made up most of the colour scheme in sight.

She sighed in disappointment. It truly was a realm of nothingness. Avrid glanced at her and saw the grimace on her mouth. He crossed his arms.

"Not impressed?"

Liogoo fought the urge to shy at the ice in his voice, this was his home, where he was born, she shouldn't be so judgmental. Many species had strong opinions about humans and Midgard, often snapping foul insults at Avrid for his birth from it. She had never been the kind of person to prejudge, especially when it came to Avrid. She muttered an apology and looked behind her to hide the blush creeping up her cheeks. Tannis had begun to catch up with them, swearing and panting that there was surely no reason to sprint; she didn't point out that they had merely been walking.

When he did finally stand beside them Avrid was already off, leaving them by the bushes and heading into the streets, gobbled up in seconds by hurried figures. The siren guard took a step as if to follow but she threw an arm out. If Avrid had wanted them to come with him, he would have told them. She said as much and when he asked her why, she shrugged and rolled her eyes. It would never fail to shock her the lack of training other species had compared to those trained as Kohuru.

Members of Radox were trained for years to hone skills of commandment and leadership as well as the ability to follow orders down to the letter. They were taught when they were needed or wanted by their superiors and how to follow silent commands, like well oiled machines. Most worked in perfect harmony especially when it came to partnered Kohuru. A Kohuru with a partner was an unmatched team. They would go through training after training to ensure they can expect and follow everything the other thinks and does. It's a magnificent thing to watch and an even more precious thing to be a part of, it was something that Liogoo had pushed and worked towards for Avrid. She wanted so badly for him to allow her as his partner, for her to follow him and watch his back, to have that honour… It was something that helped her focus and motivate her, something she fought and trained every day for.

Avrid was ruthless and cunning, he could wield a sword like it was his own arm and aim a bow with ferocious accuracy. When he was in his first year at The Academy he was hand picked and trained personally by Urfan Kroômf, a legend unto himself.

Avrid then finished not only first in his class, but in less than a third of the time expected. But then he went missing for eight years. Eight years where he vanished. His court had been beside themselves and he was officially proclaimed dead until the day he showed up. They say he just appeared sitting there, in the garden of Aurora's castle. He never told anyone where he went or what happened, but when he returned he was even more the ruthless warrior. He came back with a body of scars and skills that no one had seen before.

Where he went wasn't pleasant, she knew that much, but that was all. He never told anyone what happened, save Urfan and his court. He had been forged from steel and his mind was as sharp as his blade Forseti. He had no weakness and no leash, no mercy. A wild soul that even the Ordera had trouble keeping an eye on but men and women easily swore allegiance to. It was called a court: Kohuru who swore to follow and protect their leader, Avrid.

To have a court meant honour and respect for the leader and members, it meant to be considered part of a family where you watched out for each other with heart striking loyalty. Avrid's court was notorious for its strength and love for one another, the members were people who had known him for a lot longer than she did and knew everything, even the things he would never tell her. To say she envied them was an understatement. Avrid didn't accept anyone in and it wasn't as simple as filling in a form and hoping you passed the interview. No, the members were people who had bled for him on the battlefield, people who showed honesty and courage; they were the kind of people Avrid admired and they admired him back.

In total in Radox, there were only five courts, the Court of Hollow, Blood, Velvet, Colours, and Avrid's court: the Court of Crowns. His was a court mastered in stealth and violence. The shadows sung to them and death was their air. They were the most feared and admired Court simply because they were so tightly knitted. Avrid's court had a habit of knowing everything: they were spies, the eyes in every crack of a wall. They could dig up information that you had thought was dead, buried, and long forgotten. Aurora, the leader of Radox, favoured the Court of Crowns for all her more sticky political escapades. She trusted them to be the ones to convince those tricky ministers and courtiers that agreeing with the Radox was in their best interest, without having to use violence. They were so fiercely loyal it would be a death wish to insult one, as every single one of them would come after you. They were not petty, but they didn't take disrespect from any other Kohuru. A ruthless family with nothing to prove and each other to defend.

Liogoo knew he would never let her into his court, not only did half the members hate her, but she was aiming for higher anyway; she wanted to be declared his partner. The other side to his coin, not for power or fame but because the thought that Avrid might one day wake up and stop letting her come with him on his missions, sent a shudder down her spine. She didn't want him to forget her, didn't want them to ever become someone she used to know. And yes, maybe she did find him somewhat attractive, but she told herself it had nothing to do with wanting to be his partner.

Just then, Avrid came jogging up carrying two large packs over his shoulders. He dumped them on the sludgy snow. She reached down and picked one up, as did Tannis.

"Viking clothes. You'll seem less out of place and there are hoods so use them. It'll be hard to take the foreign out of your eyes but don't try to sing anyone to their deaths and it should be fine."

They nodded and she went behind a tree to change. The clothes were the same most of the females here wore: scratchy dull material with heavy furs on the shoulders and lining the inside. It felt like she was being suffocated by the heap of clothes but she was more than grateful to be finally warm in this gods forsaken realm that was hell bent on freezing her to death. Inside the pack was also a small dagger, the hilt was the size of her palm and the blade not much longer, she frowned as she held it out to Avrid.

"What's this supposed to do? Cut up my dinner?" He hardly expected her to use such a pathetic thing in a fight. Especially if they had no Essence to call upon.

"It's the best I could get."

Tannis came out then, wearing more or less the same clothes she was, only more masculine. Avrid had already changed, only he didn't wear as many layers as they, she supposed it was because he never felt the cold anyway. His outfit was made of tight, brown leather trousers and a loose green tunic that sagged and bellowed in the winter wind. It didn't leave many places to hide weapons but he seemed to do fine. In fact, she could just make out the glint of his black bow, already folded. Forseti was a blade of magic and even what was responsible for diminishing their own Essence wouldn't be able to lay a glove on her. If Avrid wanted her to remain hidden, then Forseti would do so until he needed her.

Avrid held out a small dagger to Tannis, a solid metal one only slightly smaller than her own. It certainly wasn't one of Avrid's own blades—he would never give them away. He must have wanted to give it to Tannis personally because when the siren reached out to grab it, Avrid didn't let go and looked him fiercely in the eyes, a look that sent most men running. Tannis audibly gulped.

"I don't think I need to warn of the consequences if you attempt stabbing me or Liogoo in the back with this dagger, so I won't. Without our Essence we are more vulnerable than I should like, but that doesn't mean I can't find horrible ways to end your life should you step out of line."

Tannis nodded and Avrid gave him one more piercing stare before letting go and watching exactly where Tannis tucked the blade between the folds of his fur-lined cloak. Satisfied Tannis got the message, Avrid jerked his chin at the town.

"I'm going to inquire about somewhere for us to sleep. I'm sure there is an inn. The pair of you," he gestured with a finger, "will go among the stalls. Buy something or just look around, but gossip. We are looking for anything that hints towards any unusual patterns in dragon raids or gatherings of them in one place. Remember that these are Vikings, they don't like to talk but you might find a chatty salesman and you mustn't try to talk in big words, most don't know how to even read."

Avrid reached into a pocket and pulled out a small purple velvet pouch and threw it to Liogoo. She pulled open the thin gold threads to reveal a gracious amount of silver and gold coins as well as a few pearls. He must have snatched it from another woman.

He looked to Tannis. "Your voice will be different although Liogoo and I have already gone through the accent and she can mimic it somewhat, so you just need to keep quiet. Pretend you're deaf or something."

Avrid then went off again and Liogoo began waking in the opposite direction, towards a stall of blooming lilies and red roses.

Tannis came to her side and held out an arm. "If I can't talk and I'm just walking around like a stalker, people might become suspicious. Pretend we're married."

Liogoo had to bite her tongue from outright refusing but he looked even more reluctant about the idea and it would make sense. She sighed and, none too gently, pulled him closer and latched her arm over his. He hissed but they headed into the crowd, remembering to pull their hoods up.

As soon as she hit the crowd of people she was overwhelmed by the smell of sweat, pollen and that bitter smell of humans. They had gone to the flower stall only for Tannis to be yanked away as she spotted a stall dedicated to jewellery. Gods she loved jewellery. She fumbled through small silver bands and delicate plated bracelets. Tannis stood and didn't mutter a peep, although she could tell from the shuffle of his feet he was bored. She spotted a small gold ring with a rose pink studding and traced a finger over the sharp cut gem. The vendor was a thick man with a round protruding belly that bumped into the tables as he leaned over and pointed to the ring she had been eyeing.

"'Ats a pretty one. Took me three days to get it just right. I can give it to ya' for 'alf price?" His accent was thick and coarse and he probably came from far away. He picked it up and placed it in a black lace pouch, declaring she should buy it. Typical vendor tricks.

She shook her head and mumbled she didn't need it before heading to the next stall. This was one that smelled wonderfully of fish and she inhaled deep before looking around for a Pink Diasis, her favourite. She was sorely disappointed when all she could see were trout and eels on the far end. Only trout and eels. She frowned but called the vendor over and pointed to the fish and asked for ten of his largest. She was famished. The vendor nodded and as he began packaging them she tried asking him about how strange the dragons have been acting. She knew it was a long shot but it was hard to skirt around the topic of a Dragon Army without using big words.

Unsurprisingly, he hadn't known much of anything, although he did say his catches had been easier from a lack of Scaldrouns—big nasty water dragons that were a nightmare to bargain with, especially when it came to territory.

"Where is it you normally fish?" She asked sweetly as he handed her a square, wrapped, brown box of her fish, she handed it to Tannis who took it with a glare but stayed silent.

"See my husband owns a large dock of fishing ships and he has experience in the sea, but we have been finding the same thing. I wonder if we should be worried?"

The vendor's eyes went wide and he looked to Tannis. "I normally catch my best load off the coast of Forklong, it's the best at this time of year. A large docking you say? I've been trying to get my ships in a docking port but they aren't taking any till next spring, you be interested? I have forty years of the sea under me belt and I don't want much area."

Tannis looked to Liogoo and it took her a moment to remember he was meant to be deaf.

"Oh, my husband can't hear. He was injured horribly in an... accident." She put a hand to her heart.

"Oh it was a horrid day when I found him in bed with my sister. Of course I forgave him but the Gods didn't." The vendor crossed his arms and shook his head with a look of disgust

"It turned out she had…" Liogoo looked left and right before she leaned in closer to the man and he leaned closer as well, his eyes wide with curiosity.

"The clap!" she shrieked and put a hand to her mouth. The man gasped.

"But I loved my dear Bobby so very much and I forgave him for his indiscretion but the healer said the disease was bad. He lost his hearing and most of his… down there. I try very hard to please him but he gets angry sometimes and I, I just…" she wiped away a tear and the vendor held out a napkin.

"Thank you." She dabbed at her cheeks. "I just want him to be happy but he can never, well you know… finish." The vendor's eyes were bright and he put a hand on her shoulder.

"Never worry, it isn't your fault. Here," her held out another brown box, "twice what you needed and free of charge."

Liogoo smiled through her tears and thanked the man graciously before she dumped the box on top of the one Tannis was already carrying. He grunted but, again, said nothing.

The man put a hand on her shoulder. "You just remember it was your husband's unfaithfulness that led him here and you shouldn't have to pay for it." She let a blubber come out and then she thanked the man again and turned away, pulling Tannis along. The vendor sent daggers at him.

When they were down a few stalls Tannis stood on her foot. "The clap!?"

"Well I had to make up some reason why you were deaf, plus we got free food."

"You could have just told him I'd been born with it!" He growled.

Liogoo smiled wickedly. "Shut up, you're deaf remember."

He sneered at her but kept quiet. They went past a few more stalls and gleaned no more information until she landed at a cloth covered table with neatly lined perfume bottles. The woman was selling all kinds of different coloured and smelling incense. Liogoo looked at them all, picking up one every now and again to press her nose to the cork and sniff. She tried talking to the lady that sold them but she didn't have much to say about dragons. Liogoo was about to leave when she caught the overpowering fruity whiff of something. She stopped dead in her tracks and shook her head, there was no way. It must have been all the strong chemicals she had abused her nose with, but... there it was again. She followed her nose until it led her to that all too familiar smell and she spotted a beaker of swirling blue that had been set behind and hidden by other bottles. She looked at the woman who was busy chatting up a finely dressed man before reaching over and snatching it.

She popped the lid off and heard Tannis gasp, "Is that what I think it is?"

Liogoo ignored him. Her heart racing, she stuffed the bottle in her pocket. But the woman saw her and screeched. Liogoo didn't have time to argue with her and she was very sure the blue liquid wasn't for sale, so she bolted, pulling Tannis. He was slower with the boxes and his annoyingly hard footsteps, but he was still faster than any of the humans. Men—people who the blue bottle was likely for, judging by the furious but frightened faces—followed them, but she zig-zagged through the crowd.

Liogoo sniffed out Avrid, smelling that familiar scent of his blood. By the time she found him talking to a pastry chef, they had lost track of the men and were panting. Avrid turned, his brows creasing.

"Avrid, you will never-"

"Is that Freabole I smell on you." Liogoo mentally stumbled for a moment at the strangeness of the accent he spoke in to blend with the other humans. But then she pulled out the bottle, the swirling contents glinted in the cloud covered sunlight. Avrid snatched it and tucked it into his back pocket, looking around him furiously.

"Right now, tell me where you got that. Did you bring it with you?" His voice was tipped with fury and she had barely the dignity to flush angrily that he might think she was stupid enough to bring Freabole with her. Although she was too shocked to be too angry and shook her head.

"A woman from the perfume vendor, she had it behind her stall and seemed awfully pissed to see me steal it. I wouldn't be surprised if we are being searched for." She scanned around her in case the men who had been chasing them might appear. Without their essence it would be too much bother to take them out and not seem suspicious and then no one would tell them anything.

Avrid hissed and pointed to a little cottage balanced on the edge of the island and away from the market but close enough she could see it.

"Wait for me there, I have to get some things but I have already booked us a room under the name Aklav, here's the key." He shoved a metal key in her hand, it was big and she put it in her pocket quickly from the coldness of it. Avrid took one more look around them before walking down past the stalls in direction of something. Liogoo didn't wait to see if the men were going to catch up with them and headed towards the cottage, Tannis again following behind her.

The cottage was a little smaller than a Manor House and its crumbling walls were infested with vines choking around wood and bricks. She opened the wooden door. The smell of musty linen and stale ale hit her full force and she had to hold back from gagging. Tannis seemed equally disgusted and pressed his nose against the two brown boxes he carried.

A young lady, about the same age as Liogoo, came bounding over to her, a warm smile plastered on her face and holding a wicker basket of pretty primroses and daisies.

"Hello, can I get you a room?" She chirped.

Liogoo gave the name Avrid had booked and they were led to a room at the furthest end on the bottom floor. The girl kept glancing at Tannis beneath her long fair lashes and blushed when he asked her what time breakfast is normally served. Liogoo had glared at her until she excused herself hurriedly but not before she offered one of her pretty pink primroses to him. He had taken it, only to place the stem over her ear and tucked her chestnut hair away from her delicate face. She had positively glowed red and hurried out the door. Liogoo refused to let it bother her, and, to be honest, she wasn't quite sure why it did: she had left his ass. If he wanted to flirt with an immature little girl then he could go right ahead.

Their room had only two beds with flowery designed covers and a small oak table on either side. In the middle of the room was a lowered table with a few cushioned sofas and a fireplace in front. It was a cosy room with all flowery designs and bright colours that glowed in the sun's light, turned white by the tuffet of clouds cloistering the sky.

Tannis dropped the boxes he had been lugging around on the table and Liogoo began checking around the room. She pulled aside picture frames and looked under cushions, blankets and curtains for any spy holes. She then pulled out the small dagger Avrid had given her and began loosening the hinges of the doors and windows should anyone try to come in. Tannis watched her with mild curiosity but then grew bored and began making a fire.

They sat in silence as they ate the fish, not bothering to cook it. She ate an entire box to herself and Tannis took the other one, finishing them in a few minutes. There was no need to save any for Avrid, he didn't eat fish for whatever reason. When she was done she went over to a pitcher that had been laid out and washed her hands.

"So what exactly are you two here for? What's your… mission?" Tannis said the last word with venom.

"How about you tell me how you know so much about Radox?" She turned a narrowed eye in his direction. Radox was an extremely classified order and it surprised and shocked her that he knew so much.

Tannis stiffened in the seat he had taken. "When you left I had thought- the entire kingdom thought you had been stolen, and the queen sent out guard after guard to get you back but we found no trace. It was only when you sent that letter did we learn you had sold yourself to that wretched group."

Liogoo snarled, "Wretched as it may be, it is my people. You would do well to respect them."

"Your people are the Siren race in Vanaheim, not a group of murdering, lying, cold blooded assassins."

She refrained from snapping his neck and began un-layering her coats as the fire warmed the room. "That doesn't answer my question."

"A month after you left I joined the guard and in my spare time I did all the research I could to find out everything about Radox. I travelled to the Scholar Reefs in the North and learnt from the masters there everything I could on it. They told me what I know."

"And what do you know?" She sat down in the furthest chair from his, not trusting herself to not beat nine rounds into him if she got to close. The chair was hard and she twisted until she could get comfy.

"I know that Radox is a-"

"Without the colourful and insulting descriptive words, please."

He made a face but went on, "It's based somewhere no one really knows, but it is a civilisation of… justice makers. Radox people are called Kohuru. Their job is to terminate those who commit crimes against the Home Laws, the laws that determine an international justice system for the nine realms. Because of the Home Law and under the section of The Crying Treaty, those punished can only be done so by The Radox. They do what is necessary to dispose of the criminal, any aiding, abetting or potential accomplices. They are, in a shorter term, assassins without leashes. They are trained in the way only sick people can be, to torture out information. To kill on sight and feel no remorse about it."

Liogoo sucked on a tooth. "You make us sound like monsters."

"Are you not? The nine realms are in the hands of kill happy savages! We are at the mercy of your judgement and should we fail, we should expect to have our throats slit and our families tortured."

"That's pathetic talk. You know we are bound by The Crying Treaty."

Tannis threw his hands in the air. "That treaty is the only thing that stops us from being slaughtered. The Radox has the power—the numbers—to wipe it from existence."

"You know we would never do something like that. Kohuru are bound by a right of honour, dignity and fucking law!" she seethed.

"Until that becomes just a line. Until the loss of honour and dignity is worth breaking the law to overtake the rest of us."

"There are things in place that stop us from that. Aurora would never do such a thing. She has been working for centuries to give Radox a voice, to give us a reputation to conquer that exact image you have of us. We are not monsters and we are not the bad guys. It's ignorance like yours that creates that image and I will be damned if you dare use it against me."

"Fuck's sake, Liogoo I want you out of this! You are nothing like those murderers, you don't belong there."

"If you are here just to insult me and Radox, I'll have you know Avrid will kick you out on your ass before you can-"

"Ahh, Avrid." He stared at her with acid in his eyes. "The bloodied legend himself. I've been told he once destroyed an entire armada because they insulted his friend."

Liogoo smiled at the memory. "Oh he did, but it wasn't his friend that was insulted, it was his court." Tannis' face went pale.

"The Court of Crowns," he barely whispered. She smiled evilly.

"Mhmm."

"I heard that Hàrbotta Silver is a part of it. That they are one of Rodox's most esteemed courts. But, Avrid, I thought it was only a rumour..." Tannis gulped at the excitement in Liogoo's eyes.

Before she could answer Avrid came through the door, his boots knocking snow onto the wooden floor. He took a glance around the room and set a brown leather bag on the bed, it clanged as he set it down. Liogoo stood up, glad to put her back to Tannis, his words still bouncing in her head.

Inside the bag, two hatchets lay sheathed as well as a few slips of paper. She pulled out the parchment and unrolled it to reveal a language she didn't know. Strange. Part of Radox training was to learn all the languages one could think of, this must either be very old or very new. She put them back and pulled out a hatchet. It was heavy and thick, certainly not made by a talented blacksmith but they would do the job she supposed.

Avrid went to the window and pushed it open; it squeaked perfectly.

"What did you find out?" he asked with his back to them. She told him what the fish monger had said as well as any small bit of information she had discovered and that there had indeed been fewer dragons plaguing the skies.

Avrid nodded and pulled out a small, white rectangular box from his pocket and pulled from it a slim tube-like, white thing. It was just smaller than the width of a pencil and he put it between his lips. Liogoo watched him curiously as he scratched the red tip of a match against that white box and lit the end of the tube with the flame and then whipped the match unlit.

"What are you doing?"

Avrid looked at her and his mouth curved in a half smile, the white-tube-like-thing bobbing as he did. He sucked at the thing and the end glowed orange until he stopped and blew out a puff of sweet smelling smoke.

"This is something I haven't had in a very long time, something I've only ever come across in Midgard and Gods I have missed it." He took another pull and blew out a swirling tendril of smoke. Liogoo tried to figure out what it was, although she could only smell its strange smell. She jumped from the bed to pluck it from his mouth.

She sniffed it and brought it level to her , she thought. Avrid snatched it back and continued puffing and pulling at it, his face smoothed back in a contentment she had never seen on him, other than that time…

She gasped, "Is that Roir?" Rior was a drug-like substance some of the more mischievous Elves enjoyed and Avrid had become very fond of when he'd discovered it.

He shook his head and frowned. "A more mundane version unfortunately."

She gave him a disapproving stare. "Right, well I'm going to do an update."

"Mhmm." He let out another puff of smoke. "You will do nothing of the sort. You aren't supposed to be here and if your superior found out, I would have my head eaten off and I enjoy my head on my shoulders. It's one thing to accompany me to Asgard than it is another to accompany me to Midgard."

"Well what about the Freabole? If it's a dragon army we're looking for then no doubt the Freabole will be a promising lead."

Avrid nodded once. "And that is what I will be finding out tonight."

Liogoo sighed but flopped back on the bed, closing her eyes. "Then go away and let me go to sleep, I haven't slept in days."

Avrid huffed a laugh but took a final drag of the white thing, flicked it out the window and went back out the door.

Tannis still sat, unsure of what he should be doing. He had planned to convince Liogoo to come home, but their argument had set him back somewhat. She believed the Radox was something other than murderous liers and he needed to change that, but he couldn't if she was asleep. As she was right now, he noticed as she snored lightly.

He got up and considered following Avrid, but the idea of being alone with him wasn't pleasant. So, he went over to the still open window and closed it. Then he poked the fire and added more wood. And when he finished that, he washed his hands of the fish he had eaten and looked into the small glass mirror. He was bored. And with how little Avrid trusted him right now, it would be foolish to go out on his own and explore Midgard. Tonight, they were going to trace the Freabole, he just had to wait till then.

It still made his mind whirl with astonishment that he was in Midgard, and with no other than Liogoo. His princess, his charge to bring home to a kingdom that was falling apart. And he had never felt so hopeless at that command. He could only pray that with time and convincing she would come with him. Although the queen had declared that using force was permitted, that was out the window. He had no doubt the thought would barely pass his mind before she would ditch him, or worse. He just had to play along, pull strings but play along.

And he would play the game, he would give chase, but Tannis wasn't going to leave without her. He needed only one misstep, one fault to pounce and then he could take her home. Right now he had nowhere to go, he could get a ship but that Helish dragon would find him in a second. And then probably burn him alive. Avrid was the problem.

As Tannis stared at himself in the mirror, he began to make plans, ideas running amuck in his head. He would find a way to bring her home, he swore it.

...oOo...

**A/N this one is loong. She is thicc. But, it couldn't be done without my beta. **

**Thanks for reading!**


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